A British doctor’s visit to a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, turned into chaos when the first explosions of the week-long Israeli bombardment started. The hospital was overwhelmed with wounded children and civilians, leaving dozens dead. According to the Health Ministry, 409 people were killed across Gaza, including 173 children and 88 women.
Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, saw over 300 casualties, despite being damaged by Israeli raids and lacking key equipment. The hospital ran out of antibiotics and other essentials after Israel blocked entry of medicine, food, and supplies on March 2.
The emergency ward was filled with wounded from a tent camp and homes struck in Khan Younis and Rafah. Doctors struggled to prioritize patients, with one nurse trying to resuscitate a boy with shrapnel in his heart while another carried in her younger brother, whose foot had been blown off.
Trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa performed 15 operations in two hours, but many patients were too far gone to save. Khaled Alserr and an Irish volunteer surgeon also worked tirelessly to repair damaged bodies, but some patients succumbed to their injuries.
The hospital staff showed remarkable resilience, with workers providing each other with water and whisking away medical debris. However, the trauma of the strikes had a devastating impact on the staff, with several losing family members to the violence.
As the airstrikes continued, at least 85 people died at Nasser Hospital, including around 40 children from ages 1 to 17. The situation remains dire, with strikes killing several dozen more people throughout the week. The international community has been criticized for its inaction amidst the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/gaza-ceasefire-israel-hospital-children-f70b6205d99a14ffc4cfd14bfeed8944