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Doctors forced to leave children to die amid a dire situation in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
24 Nov 2023 10:20
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A surgeon at one of the few remaining operational hospitals in Gaza describes dire circumstances in the face of a severe shortage of medical supplies due to the Israeli brutal aggression.

A boy is treated for injuries at a hospital in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct.12, 2023, due to an Israeli airstrike on a residential building. (AFP via Getty Images)

In the embattled landscape of Gaza, a relentless and harrowing war on hospitals has unfolded over the past 47 days, leaving devastation in its wake. These vital medical sanctuaries, meant to be places of healing and refuge, have become "Israel's" primary targets in its strategy of catastrophization.

The relentless bombardment has not only reduced hospital structures to rubble but has also claimed the lives of dedicated medical professionals, with medical staff being killed or unjustly detained.

Khan Younis' European hospital: One chapter of how 'Israel' destroyed the healthcare system in Gaza

In the devastated hallways of Khan Younis' European hospital, fatigued medical professionals are faced with the grim task of determining the fate of incoming patients from northern Gaza. The recent forced evacuation of hospitals in Gaza City by the invading Israeli forces has led to a surge of hundreds of casualties heading south, overwhelming an already strained medical system grappling with scarce medicine, depleted food supplies, and sporadic power and communication outages.

Dr. Paul Ley, an orthopedic surgeon at the European Hospital, described dire conditions where displaced individuals resort to sleeping in elevators. A small team is tirelessly operating in four theaters to address severe infections requiring limb amputations due to days without treatment. The shortage of painkillers compounds the crisis, forcing immediate triage decisions, such as the heart-wrenching choice to provide only palliative care to a 12-year-old child.

In #Gaza, a surgeon faced the heart-wrenching task of performing an amputation on his own child without anesthesia, as he witnessed his son endure unbearable pain, only to pass away after.

This is what Israeli war crimes look like in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/kh6rkaNqxq
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 22, 2023

The hospital has received 500 patients evacuated from northern Gaza in recent days, highlighting the overwhelming challenges faced by exhausted medical professionals amid an Israeli-made humanitarian crisis.

“Many have not received treatment for nine or 10 days because hospitals there were non-functional even if they were open,” Ley said as quoted by The Guardian.

“This is the situation that is happening here now. This is a functioning hospital but we are being overwhelmed. There is nowhere to evacuate to … There is no escape route. We are probably one of the last lines of defense,” he added.

'I have never seen anything like it'

In the burns unit of the European Hospital, there are currently 78 patients, with almost two-fifths of them being children under the age of five.

Paul Ley, a 60-year-old French citizen part of the International Committee of the Red Cross team that arrived in Gaza nearly four weeks ago, expressed the unprecedented nature of the situation, stating, "I have never seen anything like it," The Guardian reported.

The team works tirelessly, providing round-the-clock care to the patients in the burns unit.

The Government Media Office in #Gaza reported on Thursday evening that the number of Palestinians killed at the hands of Israeli occupation forces since the start of the Israeli aggression has reached more than 14,854, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women.

The… pic.twitter.com/ca32Ufc47m
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 24, 2023

Crisis unveiled: Hospitals grapple with anesthesia shortage, worm-infested wounds, and urgent amputations

The hospital staff is hopeful that the four- or five-day ceasefire between "Israel" and Hamas, which took effect earlier this morning at 7:am, might bring about a lasting end to the brutal Israeli aggression or at least provide an opportunity to receive much-needed humanitarian aid. However, there is also concern among the staff about the potential influx of more patients during any pause in aggression.

Children in Gaza just want to feel their limbs, receive treatment for their injuries, and feel safe, calling for an end to this war.

Children in #Gaza are suffering amid the heinous Israeli aggression on the Strip, which has murdered over 5,500 children, not counting those stuck… pic.twitter.com/imuRFtkBrc
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 20, 2023

Many of the casualties arriving at the hospital sustained injuries days before their arrival, leading to severe infections. Some patients have not had their dressings changed for up to 10 days, resulting in wounds infested with worms.

'It has been done with a lot of pain'

The shortage of anesthetics and painkillers adds to the challenges faced by the medical team, forcing surgeons to make difficult decisions, including the amputation of limbs that might have been saved under better circumstances.

“We do operations with minimal anesthesia. If we run out, we can’t operate but there is no clear line. There are a lot of people crying, and screaming with pain, but we don’t have enough analgesics. We keep them for the kids or very severe cases. [So] normally we would change dressings on patients with 40% burns with them under sedation and minimize the time by using more attendants … [Now] it has to be done with a lot of pain.”

Pregnant women in #Gaza are being told that they have to deliver their babies and recover from their pain without any anesthetics or painkillers. This comes as Israeli brutal bombing near hospitals in the Gaza Strip continues.#GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/h7EB4Enkum
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 1, 2023

Within the hospital compound's grounds, numerous desperate families are crowded into makeshift shelters crafted from wood or cardboard. The hospital has not been immune to the impact of Israeli airstrikes. Shrapnel has occasionally struck the structure, and the force of bombing has resulted in shattered windows. Over the course of the aggression, Israeli airstrikes have intentionally targeted hospitals and violated the zone around the facilities, committing horrific massacres.

How do Gazans master survival?

In other parts of Khan Younis, tens of thousands of individuals have sought refuge in UN-operated shelters. One such facility, previously a vocational training center, now accommodates over 35,000 people who share 48 toilets and four showers, according to administrators. The conditions within these shelters are described as dire, with rampant illness among children, conflicts over sleeping spaces, and food shortages.

"Israel" has imposed an almost complete blockade on Gaza. Food supplies provided by the UN have dwindled to approximately one kilogram of flour and a single tin of tuna or beans per day for some, forcing families to subsist on simple "bread cakes" made from flour and water, cooked on makeshift metal sheets over open fires.

With scarce resources, people are resorting to drastic measures, such as chopping down trees in the streets due to the shortage of wood. Even basic necessities like salt have become rare commodities, with those fortunate enough to possess some able to trade it for a significant amount of food, illustrating the severe challenges faced by Gazans amid a real-time genocide.

Only in Gaza: Heart-wrenching triage decision

Ley expressed that the most challenging aspect for doctors is making triage decisions, The Guardian reported. While the concept of prioritizing patients based on their chances of survival may seem logical, the reality of implementing such decisions is emotionally taxing. He recounted a difficult decision involving a 12-year-old with extensive burns, explaining that they opted for pain control rather than desperate measures, acknowledging the emotional weight of such choices.

Maintaining composure is crucial, especially for local staff who have personal connections with the patients. Ley noted that often, the local staff, deeply affected by the plight of their own people, struggle with decisions like amputations. In such cases, he steps in to alleviate the burden, providing a sense of relief to his colleagues.

Injuries at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital treated in corridors: Spox

Touching on the issue of medical supplies and aid that have reached #Gaza, the spokesperson confirmed that they "do not meet the hospitals' needs for a single day."#Palestine #GazaGenocide https://t.co/td7MoT9guL
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 24, 2023

Ley expressed astonishment at the apparent passivity of some patients, citing an example of a woman who, after losing her husband and children in an Israeli airstrike on her home, showed resolute when informed that both her legs would require amputation. He observed a pervasive sense of apathy among many patients who seemed to have resigned themselves to their circumstances.

Despite the overwhelming despair, Ley shared a poignant moment of hope. He recently treated a 32-year-old man with severe shrapnel injuries. The patient's younger sister expressed gratitude, stating she was proud of her brother and grateful for his survival. She even aspired to become a surgeon herself one day. In the midst of the devastation, this encounter provided a glimmer of optimism.

“So that was very poignant,” Ley said as quoted by The Guardian.

All of this is substantial under the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit military operations against hospitals unless “they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy." This exclusion, detailed in Article 19 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, explicitly states: “… the presence of small arms and ammunition taken from such combatants and not yet handed to the proper service shall not be considered to act harmful to the enemy."