Some Palestinians, including children, who could not receive adequate health care, were evacuated by ambulances by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN from al-Ahli Baptist Hospital as Israel's attacks on Gaza Strip continue uninterruptedly in Gaza City. Photo courtesy of Turkey's Anadolu News Agency
Speaking to Voice of Palestine Radio, the hospital's director, Dr Fadl Al-Naeem, highlighted the dire situation, with most incoming cases suffering severe injuries.
The hospital, the site of an infamous Israeli airstrike that killed hundreds in October 2023, is grappling with a critical shortage of essential medical supplies, including gauze, surgical sutures, and vital medications, further complicating the ability to provide care.
Al-Naeem noted that efforts to secure blood donations face significant hurdles, as widespread anaemia and malnutrition among residents hinder their ability to donate.
Furthermore, treating the influx of serious injuries requires multidisciplinary medical interventions, straining the already overwhelmed emergency services.
While the hospital is coordinating with other medical facilities, Al-Naeem highlighted that the resources in northern Gaza are insufficient to handle the growing number of casualties.
He called for the immediate opening of border crossings to allow critically injured patients to be transferred out of Gaza for specialized treatment, as the worsening conditions underscore the urgent need for humanitarian assistance as the war continues to escalate.
The Baptist Hospital in Gaza City was targeted several times for 14 months by the Israeli airstrikes; the latest was in late August 2024, which resulted in a large number of both fatalities and injuries, in addition to injuring many of the medical staff members and patients inside, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Many essential departments inside the hospital are now non-operational as medical staff and patients struggle to survive amid the Israeli aerial bombardment.
“Shortages of critical supplies have reached such levels that we are now forced to turn away patients in some facilities,” says Caroline Seguin, Doctors without Borders emergency coordinator in Gaza.
“Restrictions and obstacles to the entry of aid by the Israeli authorities continue to severely hamper our ability to provide care," she added.
“Humanitarian organizations have been warning for months that the woefully inadequate supply of aid would worsen the already dire situation in Gaza. We have now reached a tipping point,” continues Seguin.
“A massive and secure flow of aid is imperative to begin meeting the needs of people in Gaza who otherwise will face deadly consequences in the coming winter months. In addition to that, an immediate and sustained ceasefire throughout Gaza is needed to prevent further death, suffering, and societal collapse.”
Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli brutal war on Gaza has killed at least 45,399 people, most of them women and children, with more than 107,940 others injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest figures.
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