Honestly, the numbers change so fast it’s hard to keep up. If you're looking for a simple headcount of how many hospitals are left in Gaza, the answer isn't as straightforward as a "yes" or "no" list. As of mid-January 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) and local health officials report that out of the 36 main hospitals Gaza started with before this conflict, only about 18 are partially functional.
That "partially" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
It doesn't mean these places are running like the hospital down the street from you. Most of them are basically trauma stabilization points. We’re talking about buildings with no reliable power, barely any clean water, and a desperate shortage of doctors who haven't been displaced or killed. In the north, the situation is even grimmer. For a while, there were zero functioning hospitals in the northern governorates. Some, like Al-Shifa, have managed to restart very basic services, but it’s a skeleton of what it used to be.
What it actually means to be "partially functional"
When you hear a news report say a hospital is "partially functional," it’s easy to picture a wing being closed for renovations. That is not the case here.
Basically, it means they might have an ER that can stop bleeding, but they don't have a working MRI. In fact, Dr. Ahmed Muhanna—who recently returned to Al-Awda Hospital after being detained—pointed out that there isn't a single working MRI machine left in the entire Gaza Strip. Not one. There is only one functional CT scanner for over two million people.
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Imagine trying to treat a brain injury or a complex tumor by just... guessing.
- Staffing levels: Over 1,200 healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023.
- Infrastructure: About 94% of Gaza's hospitals have sustained some level of damage from airstrikes, shelling, or ground operations.
- Supplies: Essential items like dialysis filters, anesthesia, and even simple wheelchairs are often blocked at the border.
The healthcare system hasn't just been "strained." It’s been systematically dismantled. Even with a ceasefire officially in place as of early 2026, the ripple effects of the destruction are killing people every single day.
The crisis of the "preventable death"
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the death toll, which has now surged past 71,000. But what those numbers don't always show are the people dying from things that are totally treatable.
Recently, a one-year-old boy died of hypothermia in Deir al-Balah. He didn't die from a bomb; he died because the hospitals couldn't provide the warmth and specialized care a fragile infant needs during a harsh winter in a tent. Mothers are miscarrying at record rates—a 41% drop in successful births compared to pre-war levels.
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When you ask how many hospitals are left in Gaza, you also have to ask what they can actually do. If a hospital exists but has no fuel for its incubators, is it really a hospital?
The North vs. The South: A Massive Divide
The geography of Gaza's healthcare is totally lopsided. Most of the remaining "functional" facilities are squeezed into the middle and southern areas like Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
- North Gaza: Facilities like Kamal Adwan and the Indonesian Hospital have been under siege multiple times. At various points in late 2025 and early 2026, they were forced to stop all services because they were right in the middle of active combat zones.
- Central Gaza: Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is currently one of the busiest spots. It’s overwhelmed. People are being treated on the floors because there aren't enough of the 2,000 remaining hospital beds to go around.
- South Gaza: Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis is trying to hold it together, but they are constantly running out of fuel for the generators.
Why is it getting worse despite the ceasefire?
You’d think a ceasefire would mean things get better, right? Kinda, but not really.
The Israeli authorities recently announced they are revoking the licenses of dozens of international NGOs, including groups like Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). These groups were basically the backbone of the remaining clinics. If they are forced to leave, that 18-hospital count could drop even further.
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Plus, the winter of 2026 has been brutal. Flooding has hit the tent camps in Al-Mawasi, and since the hospitals are already full of trauma patients from the last two years, they can't handle the sudden surge of people with pneumonia or infected wounds from the stagnant water.
Specific hospitals still struggling to operate
If you need the names of the "big" ones that are still somewhat standing, here’s the shortlist:
- Al-Shifa Hospital: Once the crown jewel of Gaza's medical system. It's partially back, mostly for emergency and basic outpatient care, but the surgical suites are a mess.
- Al-Ahli Arab Hospital: Still providing care in Gaza City despite being hit multiple times.
- Nasser Medical Complex: The main hub in the south.
- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital: The primary facility for the central zone.
Honestly, the staff at these places are heroes. They are working without pay, often with their own families living in tents outside the hospital gates, and with the constant threat that the "partially functional" status could turn into "totally destroyed" by tomorrow morning.
Moving forward: What needs to happen?
Understanding how many hospitals are left in Gaza is just the first step. The real issue is the "medicide"—the total collapse of the ability to provide medicine.
If you want to stay informed or help, look for updates from the WHO's Health Cluster or OCHA. They provide the most granular, day-to-day data on which clinics are open and what they need. The most urgent requirements right now aren't just "peace," but the immediate entry of specialized diagnostic equipment, fuel, and the protection of the remaining medical staff from detention or harm.
Without a massive, immediate influx of aid and a reversal of the ban on international medical NGOs, the remaining 18 hospitals won't be able to hold the line much longer. The next step is to look for reliable reporting on "medical evacuations," as there are currently over 18,500 people waiting for life-saving surgery that simply cannot be performed inside Gaza anymore.