Gaza , Palestine – October 4, 2025

The ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has reached a devastating new low, with a key UN official reporting scenes of unspeakable horror inside the Strip’s few remaining and overwhelmed medical facilities. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described an atmosphere of death and despair following a visit to a central Gaza hospital, detailing horrific injuries sustained by children from ongoing Israeli airstrikes and quadcopter (drone) attacks.

Headline Points

 * Scenes of Horror: UNICEF’s James Elder described children either suffering or dying in front of medics, having been shot by quadcopters or severely wounded by airstrikes.

 * Drone and Airstrike Victims Overwhelm: Hospitals are seeing a constant influx of complex trauma injuries, with staff struggling to treat children shot by attack drones and those with amputations or burns from direct hits on tents.

 * System on the Brink: Only a handful of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still partially functional, operating at nearly 300% over capacity and lacking essential supplies like fuel, oxygen, and medicine.

 * Malnutrition Crisis: One hospital Elder visited in Gaza City is admitting 60 to 80 children daily for malnutrition and other illnesses, reflecting the confirmed famine conditions in Gaza Governorate.

 * Maternity Crisis: The health system collapse has endangered mothers and newborns, with thousands of pregnant women trapped and new mothers forced to lie on hospital corridors with their vulnerable infants.

A Crisis Measured in Minutes: ‘She Dies on the Bed’

During a brief 30-minute visit to a Gaza hospital, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder witnessed a torrent of human suffering that painted a harrowing picture of the conflict’s toll on children. Elder detailed the horrific circumstances of a young girl’s death:

“I’m really noticing not just the wound, but the attention that the bobs in her hair, the care that a parent’s given before the airstrike,” he recounted. “As we’re talking to the surgeon there, she dies on the bed in front of us. That’s 30 minutes in a hospital.”

Elder also reported encountering children who had been directly shot by quadcopters—attack drones—with youngsters “bleeding out on the floor.” Other victims included children who were paralysed, burnt, or had limbs amputated following direct hits on tents in the early morning hours at hospitals like Nasser and Al Aqsa. The relentless nature of the violence has transformed these facilities into chaotic, overstretched makeshift clinics.

Health System in Total Collapse

The catastrophic humanitarian situation is exacerbated by the near-total destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the health system has collapsed under “relentless strain,” with only about 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remaining partially functional. These facilities are now operating at a crippling level, with major hospitals like Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli in Gaza City functioning at nearly 300% over capacity.

The sheer volume of casualties—with the Ministry of Health reporting over 63,746 fatalities and 161,245 injuries since October 2023—means hospitals are overwhelmed by mass casualty incidents. Medics face critical shortages of essential drugs (52% at zero stock), surgical supplies, and fuel, often forcing facilities to operate on limited hours.

The strain extends to maternity care, where new mothers and vulnerable newborns are seen lining the hospital corridors due to the lack of space. The UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, estimates that 55,000 pregnant women are trapped in Gaza, with the added risk of approximately 130 babies being born daily into a broken system.

A War on Children: Malnutrition and Disease

Elder’s report highlighted that children in Gaza are not only dying from the immediate violence but also from preventable illnesses and starvation. One hospital in Gaza City is admitting between 60 to 80 children each day with severe malnutrition.

Famine (IPC Phase 5) is confirmed in the Gaza Governorate, with over half a million people facing catastrophic starvation. This has led to a spike in non-trauma deaths, with 361 Palestinians, including 130 children, reported to have died due to malnutrition as of early September 2025.

In his final, desperate plea, Elder stated, “When the world adjusts and normalizes this level of violence and deprivation, something is profoundly broken… The children of Gaza have suffered enough. We need a humanitarian ceasefire now.” UN aid teams further reported that nearly 42,000 people in Gaza are now living with life-changing injuries, including over 10,000 children, as the health system is no longer capable of providing the necessary rehabilitation and care.