In Gaza, doctors are painting an exceedingly grim picture of the current state of affairs within the strip’s hospitals.
For the past month, medical teams have been waging a tough and relentless battle to save lives, tend to the wounded, and revive a healthcare system groaning under the weight of war.
Amid a harsh and unprecedented reality, doctors are struggling to “save what can be saved,” in an effort to stave off the complete collapse of the healthcare system, given the widening scope of the conflict, the rising toll of casualties, and the depletion of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel.
Medical officials within these teams warn that hospitals are now teetering on the brink of total collapse, cautioning that with each passing hour without aid, a collapse becomes an inevitable fate.
For years, Gaza’s hospitals and medical teams have endured worsening crises, stemming from previous wars and blockade policies.
However, today, they find themselves confronted with an even more severe and unprecedented reality, facing challenges unlike any they have seen before.
At Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, medical teams are working tirelessly around the clock to respond to an unprecedented and overwhelming influx of injured patients into its wards.
Hospital officials informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the number of patients has exceeded the facility’s capacity several times over.
This is compounded by a severe shortage of resources, medical supplies, medications, and the necessary fuel to operate the hospital’s wards.
Dr. Mohammed Qandeel, head of the Accident and Emergency Department, states that the medical situation at the hospital has reached an indescribable state.
He further adds that the medical staff is facing a continuous stream of hundreds of cases, with the majority suffering from severe injuries.
As Israeli airstrikes relentlessly target residential neighborhoods in Gaza, a harrowing picture emerges from a physician dealing with the injuries resulting from direct hits on homes. The casualties arrive as “shattered remains,” with very few individuals surviving these strikes, which also inflict extremely severe injuries on those staying in houses adjacent to the targeted areas.
The ongoing war is also casting a heavy shadow over doctors and their families, exacerbating their anxiety and psychological stress.
Every physician and nurse has left behind a family in “an unsafe place” since the entire region has become unsafe.
Medical teams are forced to provide care to patients while also preoccupied with the safety of their families and children.
