5 August 2025
On Sunday 20 July, our lifesaving clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, was forced to shut down when Israeli forces issued a forced displacement order in the area. Our staff and the communities we serve were devastated. The Solidarity Polyclinic was treating more than 400 patients every day, many of whom are severely malnourished and have no access to alternative care.
Maram Shurafa, MAP’s Acting Medical Programme Lead in Gaza, was at the Polyclinic on the day it was forced to close.
“The staff were deeply upset and shocked by the evacuation order, particularly because the clinic is located in the Mawasi area of Gaza, an area previously designated as a ‘safe zone’.”
“Even as we prepared to evacuate … our team served around 170 patients. The pressure was immense. We were still treating patients right up to the moment we shut the doors. Many people stood outside waiting for care, but we had to turn them away. It was one of the most helpless feelings we’ve ever experienced.”
As well as our clinic, a nutrition point that MAP supports in Deir al-Balah was also forced to evacuate. Run by our partner Ard El Insan (AEI), the point screens, treats and refers 200 women and children for malnutrition daily.
On Sunday 27 July, Israeli forces lifted the forced displacement order they had placed on the areas containing the Solidarity Polyclinic and the nutrition point. Maram and her team went back to resume work as quickly as they could.
“We were counting the days until we could go back. We knew people were waiting for us. And on the first day we reopened, we arrived to find them already gathered at the gate, waiting for the polyclinic to open. That moment gave us a surge of energy and motivation. When you see just how much people need you, how much hope they place in you, you return to your work with even more drive and commitment.”
“During the closure, we were deeply concerned about the people whose appointments had been scheduled. Some had psychosocial support sessions. Others needed to collect monthly medication for chronic conditions. Some required wound care or physiotherapy. And there we were, helpless. Knowing they needed us, but unable to reach them. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.”
“Earlier today at the polyclinic, a patient, a woman in her fifties, approached me. She told me she had moved her tent closer to the area after hearing the polyclinic was back in operation. She said: “I was determined to move back and stay near the clinic. I get everything I need from here treatment, care, respect… I find it all here.””
“She was genuinely happy with how smoothly the service was running, but what meant the most to her was the respect she felt. She told me “This is a place where I feel respected.”
“That both uplifted and saddened us. Because dignity should be a given not something to be grateful for. But the collapse of medical services has made people feel that these services are now among the most precious and irreplaceable things in life.”
Unfortunately the nutrition point was not so lucky. The building that AEI use to run the service was heavily damaged by Israeli forces and the Al Sit Amira Camp next door, where displaced families had set up their tents, was partially bulldozed by the Israeli military. Our nutrition point has been forced to move into a tent in the camp and is continuing services from there.
Sahar Salem, AEI Project Coordinator, said “It was a terrible feeling. I just felt like my heart stopped and I couldn’t hold back my tears. This place brought us together for nearly nine months, where we served so many people and came to know them. It felt like our second home. Seeing it destroyed felt like losing that home. All I could think about was how to return and serve them again. People are truly in need.”
Israeli forces must now lift ALL forced displacement orders and end its relentless assault on healthcare and essential services. Health services across Gaza must be allowed to repair and resume. And the international community must enforce an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s atrocities and ensure that aid can flow to all who need it in Gaza.
MAP will continue to work for the health and dignity of Palestinians for as long as we’re needed.
