The war in Gaza, now stretching into its second year, has left a trail of devastation that is both staggering in scale and deeply personal in its human cost. As indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas resumed in Egypt on October 8, 2025, the world’s attention was drawn once again to the mounting toll on civilians—especially children—and the collapse of Gaza’s health care system. The Lancet, a leading medical journal, published a forceful editorial just a day later describing the situation as a "healthocide," highlighting the catastrophic consequences for health care and issuing a clarion call for action from the global medical community.
According to CBS News, the conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. Israeli officials now believe that 48 of those hostages remain in captivity, though only 20 are thought to be alive. In the months since, Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health claims that more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign—a figure Israel disputes but does not counter with its own estimate. The United Nations, citing Israel’s ban on independent foreign journalists in Gaza, considers the health ministry’s numbers the most reliable available.
Children have paid an especially heavy price. UNICEF reports that Israel’s "disproportionate response" has killed or maimed at least 61,000 children since the war began. Save the Children adds that at least 20,000 children have died, making up nearly a third of all Palestinian deaths in the conflict. The trauma is not only physical. James Elder, a UNICEF spokesman, described to CBS News his recent visit to a Gaza hospital: "The first thing I saw was four children who had all been shot by quadcopters [military drones], then I went into a hallway and it was wall-to-wall children across all the corridors." He continued, "There was a boy bleeding out on the floor who had apparently been there for five hours, then he was put on a stretcher only for another child to be put in his place. Then I watched a little girl die. That's half an hour here in Gaza."
Beyond the hospital wards, the suffering is compounded by mass displacement. The U.N. estimates that about 90% of Gaza’s 1.9 million people have been forcibly displaced, many of them multiple times as the focus of Israeli military operations shifts. Recent offensives have forced hundreds of thousands to flee from northern Gaza to southern areas like Khan Younis, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told CBS News, "You can see a lot of people living on the side of the road, pitching tents on the sides of the roads... There are many people who fled on foot and, of course, were not able to bring anything with them, and this creates extremely difficult conditions in terms of hygiene, sanitation and these kinds of things."
Children, in particular, are bearing the brunt of this upheaval. At a makeshift camp for orphans in Khan Younis, CBS News met 14-year-old Deena Al-Za'arab, who lost both her parents. "I wish the war were just a dream I'd wake up from and see my parents next to me," she said. "I have to keep it together for the sake of my siblings, because now I must raise them." Ten-year-old Arat Awqal, who lost her father, expressed a longing for safety and normalcy: "I just want to go back to how it used to be. Whenever we heard the sound of missiles my father would hold us, but now he's gone, and we are always scared." Twelve-year-old Gazal Basam echoed this pain: "I feel such pain in my heart after losing my dad. I want to live like I did before the war, but I know life will never be the same again."
The Lancet’s editorial, published on October 9, 2025, paints an equally grim picture of Gaza’s health care infrastructure. The journal reports at least 772 attacks on health care, with 94 hospitals damaged or destroyed and over 1,500 health-care workers killed—the highest toll ever recorded in a single conflict. Despite claims that combatants have used hospitals as shields, independent investigations have found no evidence to support this. The editorial insists that, regardless, such claims could never justify systematic attacks on the health-care system.
What has shocked many in the international medical community is the silence of professional organizations. The Lancet notes that most medical and surgical societies worldwide have either remained silent or issued only vague statements regarding Gaza’s health crisis. A recent analysis found that only 2% of U.S. specialty medical societies publicly commented on the conflict, far fewer than in past humanitarian emergencies. The editorial argues that medical neutrality—a core tenet of international humanitarian law—obliges health professionals not just to provide impartial care, but also to condemn violations wherever they occur. The value of human life, the authors stress, must never depend on nationality, religion, or politics.
Both Israeli and Palestinian physicians treated victims during the October 7, 2023 tragedy, demonstrating that health care can bridge even the deepest divides. The Lancet’s authors urge medical societies to speak out unambiguously, support all victims, denounce attacks on medical personnel and infrastructure, and do everything possible to ensure care reaches those in need. Remaining silent in the name of neutrality, they argue, amounts to complicity in the face of injustice. The paper, endorsed by the European Digestive Surgery Society and seven surgeons from Gaza, represents a broad consortium of institutions from Europe, Australia, Palestine, and Israel, all appealing for solidarity and a renewed commitment to medical ethics in times of crisis.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not just a matter of numbers; it is a daily reality of loss, fear, and resilience for millions. One in five children in Gaza is acutely malnourished, according to UNICEF, and the psychological scars of displacement and bereavement run deep. "The kids not only lost loved ones—it's not just about just having your mother killed, it's about watching your mother die, then add that level of trauma to being displaced," Elder told CBS News. "Displacement... it sounds like a neutral or abstract term. It's not. It's violent. It's repetitious, and it also increases trauma."
As the world watches the renewed diplomatic efforts in Egypt, the message from the ground is unmistakable. The silence of the world’s medical societies in the face of attacks on health care in Gaza, The Lancet warns, constitutes a betrayal of the most fundamental values of medicine. The choices made now will echo for generations, as future historians judge whether the global community stood up to defend life—or chose to look away.