Health
Gaza Loses Another Top Doctor as War Decimates Health System
Dr. Marwan al-Sultan, a former hospital director in Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week becoming the latest in a growing number of Palestinian doctors who have died during the 21-month war that has crippled the territory’s health system.
Al-Sultan, 49, was the former director of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza. Colleagues say his death is a devastating blow both personally and professionally. “He was one of only two cardiologists in the area,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, a close friend and director of Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa.
“Thousands of patients will now suffer.”
The strike that killed al-Sultan also claimed the lives of his wife, daughter, and son-in-law in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. His family, like many in the enclave, had been displaced from their home earlier in the war.
The Israeli military claimed it targeted a “key terrorist” in the same area, but did not provide details. It said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals” and is reviewing the incident.
Al-Sultan had become a symbol of resilience in Gaza’s crumbling medical community. Despite repeated attacks near the Indonesian Hospital, he remained at his post, refusing to evacuate. “We will keep holding on for our patients, our jobs, and our people,” he said in a May video shared by hospital backers.
A 2022 faculty photo from the Islamic University in Gaza City featuring al-Sultan and 30 other senior medical professionals has become a haunting testament to the war’s toll on Gaza’s health care. At least five of the doctors in that photo are now dead. All but one were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
“He was a mentor to an entire generation,” said Abu Selmia. “Now we’re trying to train a new generation of specialists, but it will take years of time we don’t have.”
Since the war began in October 2023, over 1,400 Palestinian health workers have been killed, according to the United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented nearly 700 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza. Only 17 of 36 hospitals remain even partially operational, and just 12 can provide more than emergency care.
In northern Gaza, the situation is especially dire. Israeli military operations have left medical infrastructure decimated and access to care nearly impossible. Doctors, if alive, are overwhelmed.
Among those lost: Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Shifa, died in Israeli custody under unclear circumstances. His body has not been returned.
Dr. Hammam Alloh, a nephrologist, was killed with his family in an airstrike in November 2023.
Dr. Mohammed Dabbour, Gaza’s only cancer pathologist, was killed in October 2023 along with his father and son
Dr. Rafat Lubbad, head of internal medicine and one of Gaza’s few autoimmune specialists, was killed with seven family members.
Their deaths not only erase decades of expertise but also leave patients with nowhere to turn.
Al-Sultan trained in Jordan and could have worked abroad, but chose to return to Gaza in 2019. His friend, Dr. Mohammed al-Assi, followed him home. “I’m wondering, as any doctor would, was it his fault that he was helping people?” al-Assi asked.
The day before his death, al-Sultan had been on a call with Abu Selmia discussing patient schedules and logistics amid the chaos. “He was one of the only doctors left who could perform cardiac procedures,” Abu Selmia said.
He now clings to hope that the next generation might pick up where these doctors left off. Al-Sultan’s son, Ahmed, is a medical student. “God willing, he will follow in his father’s footsteps,” he said.
But with Gaza’s medical institutions under siege, doctors gone, and hospitals in ruins, it’s unclear whether there will even be a system left to inherit.
