Only in Gaza: A hospital becomes a graveyard

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Nov 2023 16:19
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The health system is unable to provide adequate services to the wounded and patients amid the tragic killing of 40 Patients at al-Shifa Hospital.

A man is looking for the bodies of family members killed in a bombardment that hit a school housing displaced Palestinians, as they lie on the ground in the yard of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10, 2023. (AFP)

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the health crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached 'catastrophic proportions', stressing that medical teams are facing depletion and exhaustion with the Israeli aggression and total blockade tightening for 39 consecutive days,

The ministry's spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, announced that the health system is unable to provide adequate services to the wounded and patients, revealing the tragic killing of 40 Patients at al-Shifa Hospital.

Concerns are particularly heightened for premature babies who have been relocated to intensive care following coordination between the ministry and the Red Cross, he added.

Al-Qidra underscored that al-Shifa Hospital, housing around 10,000 people, including displaced families without adequate protection, faces severe challenges. Israeli snipers continue to target anyone attempting to evacuate the area.

Only in Gaza: A hospital becomes a graveyard

The yard of al-Shifa Hospital has now become a makeshift graveyard for 100 bodies, which were buried in a mass grave as the bodies had begun to rot, expressing serious concern about the medical staff's dwindling ability to preserve the dignity of the dead.

Furthermore, al-Maamadani Hospital and al-Awda Hospital are the only partially operational medical facilities, both at risk of shutting down due to fuel shortages, as per Al-Qidra.

He also emphasized the extremely challenging health conditions in the southern part of the Strip, with hospitals there also facing potential closure within the next 48 hours due to fuel depletion.

The Ministry of Health has reiterated its urgent call for the opening of a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the evacuation of the wounded, especially from northern areas, either to other hospitals or to Egypt under international protection. Additionally, there is a pressing need for the delivery of medical assistance to enable hospitals to resume their crucial functions.

Despite aid deliveries via trucks entering from the Rafah crossing in recent weeks, the ministry emphasized that the received assistance does not significantly alleviate the catastrophic health situation.

In an update, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported a grim escalation in the number of martyrs to over 11,500, with more than 29,000 reported injuries.