Urgent humanitarian assistance is critically needed across the region. All parties must respect civilian lives and adhere to international humanitarian law.
In Israel, we do not have an operational presence, and as is often our practice in such cases, we support trusted partners on the ground who are responding. International Medical Corps is supporting one of our long-time partners—JDC—and its emergency response efforts in Israel. JDC also has supported some of our other humanitarian missions around the world.
In Gaza, where we’ve had staff on the ground since 2008, International Medical Corps is responding. We’ve deployed two field hospitals, including a 140-bed field hospital providing surgical, trauma, orthopaedic, obstetric and newborn care, inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy and other lifesaving medical services to as many as 1,500 civilians per day affected by the war, and a 42-bed hospital that provides lifesaving primary healthcare and emergency services, including comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services. In both locations, we provide access to health, protection, mental health, and water, sanitation and hygiene services, and are ensuring a steady supply of medicines, supplies and training.
International Medical Corps' field hospital in Gaza currently is providing lifesaving medical services to as many as 800 civilians every day.
With so many displaced people in Gaza, needs for medical and mental health care are extremely high.
Staff from International Medical Corps set up a field hospital in southern Gaza.
Staff from International Medical Corps set up a field hospital in southern Gaza.
International Medical Corps staff unload medicines and other critical medical supplies.
Civilians affected by the war wait to be seen at the outpatient department of International Medical Corps' field hospital in Gaza.
International Medical Corps' field hospital in Gaza offers a full range of medical services for vulnerable citizens, including older people.
International Medical Corps staff register patients at our field hospital.
International Medical Corps physicians treat a patient at our field hospital in Gaza.
International Medical Corps' field hospital in Gaza provides a full range of obstetric services for mothers and babies. Here, a nurse cares for a newborn in our neonatal intensive-care unit.
With so many children affected by the war in Gaza, International Medical Corps' field hospital is providing psychosocial support activities onsite.
Mental health is an important part of the services we provide at the field hospital. Here, a staff member engages local children in psychosocial support activities.
An International Medical Corps mental health expert plays with children as part of the psychosocial support activities we provide at our field hospital in Gaza.
A child who suffered injuries during an attack works with one of our counselors at our field hospital in Gaza.
Dr. Haitham Qandeel poses with a child who came in with a severe lung injury that had dropped his oxygen levels to zero, putting him close to death. Dr. Qandeel performed a thoracotomy and repair of his lung, and the child has completely recovered.
International Medical Corps has deployed two field hospitals in Gaza to help provide civilians with the healthcare they need.
The larger field hospital—initially deployed to Rafah in early January, but moved to Al Mawasi in early April—currently has 140 beds for patients with a wide range of needs, with beds to support the emergency room, beds in a Level 1 intensive-care unit, operating theatres, a fully stocked pharmacy, X-ray and ultrasound machines, a laboratory and blood-transfusion services. It provides care 24/7 and is capable of serving more than 1,000 patients every day.
The second field hospital—deployed to Deir Al Balah, in Gaza’s middle region, in early May—has 42 beds and provides lifesaving primary healthcare and emergency services, comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services, and inpatient services for acute medical cases, for stabilization and referral as needed. As in the larger field hospital, we provide these services alongside integrated nutrition services, mental health care, child-protection services and gender-based violence prevention and support services, as well as facilities and services related to water, sanitation and hygiene.
Our multi-pronged, integrated approach focuses on immediate relief to save lives, alleviate suffering and promote well-being, while we contribute to ensuring longer-term resilience through training. We are:
International Medical Corps also coordinates with functioning facilities in Gaza to support patient referrals and ensure continuity of care wherever possible. And to further extend health access and help overcome barriers to care for Gaza’s most vulnerable, International Medical Corps provides services throughout the region by working with trusted partners.
The conflict has severely impacted the delivery of basic services—including health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)— while reducing supplies of water, food and fuel. Lack of potable water, linked to poor hygiene and sanitation, could trigger risks of infectious-disease outbreaks that the compromised health system in Gaza will not be able to respond to. As in any conflict, mental health needs are high, as the conflict is causing psychological distress and trauma to many, especially those who have witnessed or experienced violence, displacement and loss of loved ones or livelihoods.
Many secondary healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed, leaving behind just a few major hospitals that are focusing mostly on immediate needs, such as emergency and trauma care. The lack of services and medication to treat routine or chronic health conditions could lead to the exacerbation of such conditions, as well as increase the risk of acute illnesses among the population.
In addition to deploying our field hospitals, International Medical Corps is supporting what is left of the health system in Gaza by procuring and delivering essential medications, supplies and equipment to hospitals and health facilities. We also are providing healthcare professionals and first responders with training on how to provide emergency- and trauma-care services, including psychological first aid (PFA). Finally, we are working with trusted partners to deliver primary healthcare and related services.
Increasing malnutrition also is a risk, especially for vulnerable groups that already may have issues accessing food, such as children, the elderly, and pregnant and lactating women.
Restrictions in food, water and other vital supplies have led to increased vulnerabilities for the Gaza population. International Medical Corps, which is expert in delivering infant, young-child and maternal nutrition services and supplies during emergencies, is providing nutrition services directly and through mother-baby spaces (MBS) to help children and their caregivers. International Medical Corps is also providing training for field hospital staff, partner organisations and service providers in counseling skills, referral criteria and providing breastfeeding support.
In addition, International Medical Corps is working closely with local and international partners—including UNICEF and the World Food Programme—to provide assistance. We also are leveraging our network of community health volunteers to monitor local populations for signs of malnutrition.
During times of conflict, risks for gender-based violence and child abuse rise, while unaccompanied minors and orphans are at heightened risk of poor health, malnutrition and violence.
We are working with partners to identify protection risks at shelters and other sites, and are addressing concerns about GBV directly and in coordination with other organizations. We are integrating GBV response services into the medical services that we provide in our field hospitals and in communities, are providing case management and psychosocial support services in women’s and girls’ safe spaces that we already have set up in Gaza, and are training first responders—including women-led organisations—in GBV-oriented PFA.
The child-protection services we provide include referrals for emergency healthcare; identification, documentation and immediate tracing of unaccompanied minors; and emergency alternative care for unaccompanied children. We also provide PFA, psychosocial support, risk mitigation, coordination and advocacy services. We have established mobile child-protection teams staffed by trained community volunteers who identify and refer vulnerable or children at risk, as well as separated or unaccompanied minors, and support and expand our existing child-friendly spaces where we and our partners can provide services.
To ensure safe and adequate drinking water for households and healthcare facilities, and reduce the risk of water-borne illnesses, International Medical Corps has set up solar-powered water desalination plants that have produced more than 1 million litres of clean water, providing healthcare staff, patients, caregivers and community members with access to clean drinking water. We have improved sanitation services for tens of thousands of people, and promoted better hygiene practices, enhancing community resilience against waterborne illnesses and encouraging infection prevention.
We have safely disposed of tens of thousands of kilograms of medical and domestic waste, safely disposed of more than 1 million litres of wastewater using ground bladders and cesspit tanks, and leveraged our relationships with trusted local partners to set up biowaste disposal, laundry services and disinfection procedures for the field hospitals. Finally, we work closely with other healthcare facilities to provide training to ensure proper implementation of infection prevention and control practices, providing cleaning and disinfecting tools and supplies where necessary.
