At Medical Aid for Palestinians, we sadly have a long history of responding to emergency situations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, but we have never faced anything on this scale in our 40-year history.

More than 11 months into Israel’s devastating military offensive, Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 92,000 injured. With essential infrastructure damaged, almost the entire population displaced from their homes. The delivery of humanitarian aid is severely restricted, and infectious diseases and acute malnutrition are rampant, with more than one million cases of communicable diseases reported. 

The scale of health needs has far outstripped the capacity of Gaza’s hospitals to respond, and the health system has all but collapsed as a result of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and suffocating siege. Only 16 out of 36 hospitals remain partially functioning, and those remaining lack basic medicines, equipment, supplies, and fuel, and in some cases, have suffered significant damage. 

The UN estimates that it will take 15 years to clear the rubble in Gaza and, without a lasting ceasefire, we must look at how we can continue to support the local healthcare system in response to this devastating crisis. Where possible, we are also rebuilding hospitals and healthcare facilities for the future.

Based on more than 30 years of experience working in Gaza, my colleagues there were among the first teams to respond to the emergency. With the generous donations of our supporters, we have been able to rapidly supply a range of aid, including medicines, disposables, and supplies to preserve what remains of Gaza’s health system, and ensure that health workers have the equipment and support they need to keep saving lives.

But getting aid into Gaza is difficult. Before October 2023, over 500 trucks entered Gaza per day, but currently there are massive restrictions on the number of trucks allowed to pass, with many trucks waiting for long periods before they are able to cross into Gaza. We have also seen items like anaesthetic machines rejected for arbitrary reasons.

At MAP, we have had to pivot to coordinate aid entering via alternative crossings since Israel closed the Rafah crossing on 7 May and try, where possible, to procure locally in Gaza with the limited number of vetted local suppliers who can receive items.

Despite these challenges, our Gaza team has been able to supply over $11 million of aid since October. While we continue to respond to the emergency as it unfolds, we are now planning our longer-term response to this catastrophe.

The rebuilding of the healthcare system will take years if not decades, and with that, multi-year programmatic planning and fundraising for these programmes has never been more critical. While a humanitarian landscape can make future programmatic planning difficult, it is clear that tackling areas like malnutrition and rebuilding hospitals are needed to ensure that Palestinians in Gaza can access essential healthcare.

While donors may be hesitant to invest in activities like this before a ceasefire, decisive action is needed now. It is our humanitarian duty to work to ensure there are health services in Gaza. Israel’s military attacks on healthcare are systematic. It is therefore essential that agencies like MAP, in partnership with donors, work to preserve services and prevent Gaza from being made uninhabitable.

As I know will be the case in other international organisations, at MAP, we will be taking our donors along this journey of rebuilding healthcare together, and ensuring that we not only deliver aid but elevate the voices of our colleagues in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon to ensure that all Palestinians can access effective, sustainable, and locally led healthcare, and fully realise their rights to health and dignity.

Harriet Scott is the head of philanthropy at Medical Aid for Palestinians.

This article was published as a part of a series of pieces exploring philanthropy’s response to catastrophe in Gaza. Read the series here.