International Medical Corps has received $68,078,508 from USAID to support our operations in Gaza since October 7, 2023. With the generous support of USAID and the American people, we’ve used these resources to operate two large field hospitals currently located in central Gaza—one in Deir Al Balah and one in Al Zawaida—offering a combined total capacity of more than 250 beds, including 20 in the emergency room and 170 in the surgical department. These facilities provide 24/7 lifesaving medical care to roughly 33,000 civilians per month, in a highly dangerous and insecure environment where healthcare infrastructure has been decimated. (These activities, largely funded by the US government, were carried out in close coordination with US, Egyptian, Israeli and Red Cross authorities).
Our lifesaving activities include surgical and post-operative care for trauma, advanced life support in our intensive-care unit, emergency maternal and newborn care, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, orthopedics, and pulmonology/cardiology care. We provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, physical rehabilitation and laboratory services, operate a blood bank, screen and treat cases of malnutrition, and provide access to clean water.
Since January 2024, International Medical Corps has provided healthcare to more than 383,000 civilians who had no other access to services or treatment, including performing about 11,000 surgeries, with one-third of those categorized as major or moderate procedures. We have assisted in the delivery of some 5,000 babies, about 20% of them via cesarean section. In addition, International Medical Corps has screened 111,000 people for malnutrition, treated 2,767 for acute malnutrition, distributed micronutrient supplements to 36,000 people, and more.
No US government funding was used to procure or distribute condoms, nor to provide family-planning services.
The stop-work order requires the cessation of US government funding that supports the following activities, which are just a sample of the services we provide in the two hospitals:
- the safe deliveries of approximately 20 babies per day;
- roughly 30 lifesaving surgeries per day, including limb-saving, abdominal and spinal surgeries, emergency cesarean surgeries and complicated wound management;
- the operation of one of only three neonatal ICUs in all of Gaza, which provides care for the most vulnerable newborns;
- the operation of one of Gaza’s only stabilization centers for severely malnourished children; and
- the operation of an extremely busy ER that receives up to 200 patients a day and an outpatient department that sees as many as 2,000 patients per day.
If the stop-work order remains in place, we will be unable to sustain these activities beyond the next week or so.
UPDATE, February 7, 2025—Since this release was posted, the US government has approved funding to cover hospital services through mid-April.