On 10 September 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean brought together an influential panel of more than 40 experts, health professionals ministry of health officials from Gaza and West Bank, and humanitarian organizations for a critical discussion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza faces a convergence of crises that fuel AMR. This includes overcrowding and disrupted health services, limited access to diagnostics and antibiotics, high infection rates and a fragile health system. This panel discussion highlighted the urgent need to address AMR amidst these complex challenges.
A recent comment in The Lancet revealed that nearly two thirds of bacterial isolates from Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital (1 November 2023–31 August 2024) were resistant to multiple antibiotics. War injury and trauma-related wounds showed particularly high rates of resistance, underscoring the gravity of the challenges – poor hygiene and infection prevention and the non-availability of proper antibiotics. Panellists and experts stressed that the collapse of routine laboratory surveillance and diagnostic testing hampers antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
The crisis is compounded by the blockade restricting medical supplies. Delays and denials at border crossings have resulted in the expiration of vital diagnostic reagents and medicines, severely impacting patient care.
Panellists emphasized the urgent need for coordinated action to:
Lift restrictions on medical supplies to Gaza.
Restore laboratory infrastructure and standardize microbiology practices.
Update clinical guidelines to address complex conflict-related injuries.
Strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The discussion closed with a call for an urgent ceasefire and open borders to enable humanitarian aid and the rebuilding of Gaza’s fragile health system. There is also a need to integrate AMR mitigation into humanitarian health programming. Without sustained global support and political commitment, the spread of multidrug resistant infections poses a grave threat not only to Gaza but to the wider region and beyond.
