Packed Gaza hospitals crippled; four out of service
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In makeshift areas inside Gaza's hospitals, medical staff were hastily attending to wounded men, women, and children sprawled on a blood-soaked floor.
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Palestinian medics tend to children wounded by Israeli airstrikes at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 11, 2023. (AFP)
In a heart-wrenching update, the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed today, Thursday, that three hospitals have been completely put out of service, while 25 others have suffered partial damage in the Gaza Strip.
The situation is dire as medical teams are tirelessly working to treat the numerous casualties stemming from the recent Israeli onslaught. The sheer volume of wounded individuals flooding into al-Shifa Complex paints a grim picture of the human suffering unfolding in the wake of the ongoing Israeli genocide.
For the thirteenth consecutive day of the relentless Israeli aggression on Gaza, residential homes are being ruthlessly bombarded without warning. Simultaneously, a suffocating blockade continues to strangle the region, depriving its inhabitants of even the most necessities – water, electricity, and life-saving medications.
According to the spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, the number of martyrs as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza increased to more than 3,785 and the number of injured to at least 13,000.
The Israeli aggression led to the death of 44 medical personnel and the injury of 70 others and put 4 hospitals and 14 primary care centers out of service, the spokesperson revealed.
The stock of medicines in all hospitals in the Strip is depleted, and we fear that they will run out completely soon.
Doctors in Gaza are struggling to manage the thousands of patients injured by the brutal Israeli airstrikes
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) October 18, 2023
This was a doctor’s agonizing reaction to the desperation inside a Gaza hospital pic.twitter.com/ATOFSiJfit
In this dire context, Iyad al-Jabri, the Medical Director of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza, paints a grim picture of the healthcare crisis. He reports an overwhelmingly distressing situation characterized by a critical shortage of both medical personnel and essential supplies.
From inside the OR in the busiest hospital in #Gaza.
— Osaid Alser, MD, MSc(Oxon) 🗝 🇵🇸 (@OsaidesserMD) October 14, 2023
Hundreds of patients in the holding area/hallways awaiting their emergent/urgent procedures in one of 12 ORs only!
IV fluid bags, gauze, energy devices, staplers, IMNs can be luxuries here #MedTwitter pic.twitter.com/AYq42rMdiC
Dr Mohammed Qandeel, medical consultant at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, describes how the hospital is facing an imminent crisis as it is running low on fuel and water while treating patients with severe injuries. pic.twitter.com/bFf9QFdXwa
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 16, 2023
Chief of Nurses and Nursing Supervisor of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Dakran, has lately warned of the complete collapse of the health sector across the Strip as "Israel" continues its genocidal bombing of residential buildings, medical crews, and infrastructure in Gaza.
"There are no available spaces left for the injured, leading to the establishment of an improvised field hospital," al-Dakran explained. He stressed that resources are nearly depleted, and the medical sector faces a dire crisis if aid doesn't reach the hospitals.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila has recently highlighted a severe shortage of medications in Gaza, adding that there is a significant issue with hospital access at a time when water shortages and the deterioration of the sewage system increase the risk of the spread of infectious diseases.
In the same context, the Gaza Government Media Office issued a dire warning: hospitals were on the brink of complete shutdown, signaling a devastating transformation of Gaza into a mass grave.
Regional director for the Near and #MiddleEast for the #ICRC, Fabrizio Carboni, highlights the dire situation in #Gaza as #Gazans are being deprived the most basic needs: food, water, and electricity.@FCarboniICRC #Palestine #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/AJoPvWs18l
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 13, 2023
Simultaneously, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the few remaining operational hospitals hung by a thread, as a severe fuel shortage threatened to snuff out their essential services. Over 30 healthcare facilities had already closed, while others teetered on the brink, still at risk from the occupying forces.
The General Manager of the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Hospital, Sobhi Sikek, warned that the only cancer center in Gaza had ground to a halt due to the acute fuel shortage, and the remainder hung in the balance, leaving cancer patients in Gaza without vital care.
#Watch | The moment "Israel" bombed the Al-Maamadani Hospital where it committed a massacre that reportedly called no less than 800 people thus far.#Gaza #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/bHbSD0CrFH
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
Amid these catastrophic conditions within Gaza's hospitals, the occupying forces deliberately targeted al-Maamadani Hospital in central Gaza, causing a gruesome massacre that claimed the lives of at least 500 martyrs, mainly children.
