Medical professionals shocked by the extent of suffering among young Palestinian patients in Gaza hospital

An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was shocked by the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children. One toddler died from a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike, while his cousin, an infant, is still fighting for her life with part of her face blown off. The hospital, Al-Aqsa Martyrs, is overwhelmed, caring for an increasing number of patients with limited supplies and staff. The majority of its intensive care unit beds are occupied by children, including infants wrapped in bandages and wearing oxygen masks.

After nearly six months of war, Gaza’s health sector has been decimated, with roughly a dozen out of 36 hospitals only partially functioning. The rest have shut down, run out of fuel and medicine, been surrounded and raided by Israeli troops, or been damaged in fighting. Hospitals like Al-Aqsa Martyrs are struggling to cope with an overwhelming number of patients. Doctors and nurses are facing the same hardships as other Gazans, trying to find food for their families and ensure their safety in a war-torn environment.

Thousands of people displaced by the war are living in the hospital grounds, seeking safety and protection. Hospitals have special protections under international law, but those protections can be removed if combatants use them for military purposes. Israel has alleged that hospitals in Gaza serve as command centers and weapons storage facilities for Hamas, but has presented little visual evidence to back up these claims. Israel has been carrying out a large-scale operation in Gaza’s largest hospital, Shifa, while airstrikes have struck close to Al-Aqsa Martyrs.

Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians and injuries to nearly 75,000 others. The majority of those killed and injured are women and children, with roughly half of Gaza’s population being 17 or younger. Israel holds Hamas responsible for non-combatants’ deaths and injuries, claiming that militants operate from within civilian areas. The war was triggered on October 7 by Hamas and other militants, leading to a devastating impact on the civilian population in Gaza.

Despite an increase in the flow of aid to Gaza, hospitals like Al-Aqsa Martyrs continue to struggle with shortages of medical supplies, spare parts, and anaesthetics. Surgeries and procedures are frequently performed without painkillers, adding to the suffering of patients. The only way to end Gaza’s healthcare crisis, according to doctors like Tanya Haj-Hassan, is for the war to stop. The international community has called on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and ensure access to essential medical supplies in order to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the region.