Survey Highlights Severe Toll of Conflict on Caritas Healthcare Staff in Gaza

A recent internal survey conducted by humanitarian organization Caritas Jerusalem has highlighted the severe personal, physical, and psychological impact of the ongoing conflict on its healthcare personnel operating in the Gaza Strip. The findings, released alongside an announcement of a staff well-being initiative, outline extensive displacement, personal loss, and structural damage experienced by medical workers who continue providing care across the territory.

According to the survey, which achieved a 93.6% response rate among Caritas Jerusalem's Gaza staff, respondents have faced repeated displacement, averaging nearly six relocations per person since hostilities escalated, with some staff displaced up to 20 times. Housing destruction is widespread among personnel, with more than 70% reporting partial damage to their homes and over a quarter reporting total destruction. Additionally, nearly 70% of respondents reported losing their family's primary source of income.

The data also details significant casualties and trauma among the humanitarian workforce. Two Caritas team members—a pharmacist and a laboratory technician—were killed alongside their families during the conflict, while nearly one in five staff members reported sustaining personal injuries. Furthermore, almost one-third of surveyed staff lost first-degree relatives, nearly three-quarters lost second-degree relatives, and two-thirds reported losing a family member due to a lack of accessible healthcare when needed.

Caritas Jerusalem stated that staff members are experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion, stress, and psychological strain stemming from dangerous working conditions, resource scarcity, and continuous uncertainty. In response to these mental health and psychosocial support needs, the organization recently hosted a "Staff Well-being Open Day" in Gaza to provide personnel with temporary relief, emotional support, and recreational activities.

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