Gaza doctors donate own blood as healthcare system nears collapse
Health workers cite starvation, medicine shortages, and a decimated hospital network as casualties mount
Doctors in Gaza have begun donating their own blood to treat patients after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds seeking food earlier this week, according to statementsmade by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) officials on June 5.
On 3 June, Israeli forces killed at least 27 starving Palestinians near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution site in Rafah. Just two days earlier, Israeli troops had opened fire on civilians near another GHF aid point, resulting in at least 31 dead and over 170 injured.
The back-to-back incidents pushed Gaza’s already crippled healthcare system beyond its breaking point. With medical supplies running low and hospitals overwhelmed, doctors began donating their own blood to keep patients alive.
Around 100 staffers from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) protested outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, condemning the Israeli-backed aid distribution system in Gaza, which they say has led to chaos and civilian deaths.
MSF director Stephen Cornish stated that severe hunger has left many Palestinians too weak to donate blood, forcing medical personnel to intervene themselves.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 102 Palestinians were killed and nearly 500 wounded near aid sites in just the first eight days of GHF operations.
Eyewitnesses report that Israeli troops fired on unarmed civilians, while the Israeli military alleged they were targeting Hamas operatives and admitted that soldiers fired at "suspects" in the crowd.
As of June 2025, Gaza’s healthcare system is in a state of collapse. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that only 19 of the territory’s 36 hospitals are operational, and only 12 of those can provide more than basic emergency care.
At least 94 percent of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed during the ethnic cleansing campaign.
Since the start of the US-Israeli genocide, the WHO has confirmed 654 attacks on Gaza’s healthcare facilities.
International calls for action are growing louder, demanding urgent steps to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian law before the collapse becomes total.