We need a break to cry” – No respite for exhausted Gaza healthcare workers after 300 days of Israel’s military assault

As Gaza marks 300 days of Israel’s military assault and siege, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) calls for the world not to normalise the ongoing relentless attacks on civilians and healthcare, and to cease arms transfers to Israel.

Since October, 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza – 90% of the population – have been driven from their homes by the Israeli military. More than 1.7 million Palestinians have been forcibly evacuated into an area of land only 48km2, meaning there are now more than 35,000 people per km2, five times the population density of London.

People are crammed into areas coming under constant attack, including so-called ‘safe-zones’. The Israeli military has systematically dismantled healthcare services which has exacerbated a public health catastrophe, with 1.8 million cases of communicable diseases recorded and a severe risk of an outbreak of polio after the virus was found in wastewater samples.

Amid this collapsing health system, healthcare workers have been working for 300 days without a break. Israeli forces have killed almost 40,000 Palestinians and injured over 90,000, and the only remaining, partially-functioning hospitals are dangerously overwhelmed. Israel’s acts in Gaza may plausibly amount to atrocity crimes, including genocide, according to UN human rights experts and the International Court of Justice.

Dr Mohammed Mohsen, an intensive care unit doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza’s Middle Area, said: “I have been working throughout this war from day one. It shocked me that we are close to day 300 because we stopped counting the days and we are about to lose hope. What we are currently facing is like the horrors of judgement day.

“The huge volume of patients coming in and the severity of the injuries are unbelievable and beyond our ability to treat. Simple cases pass away in your arms because there is no space or no basic medical supplies. I know that my family members or loved ones could be the next patients I have to treat on the ground [of the hospital] because of the shortage of beds.

“I have sometimes had to work for more than 60 hours continuously, and my break is consumed by trying to secure the basic needs of my family. I’m also the only carer for my mum, who has chronic kidney disease, and my dad, who had a stroke. We are extremely exhausted and burnt out. We are overwhelmed and we need a break – a real break – to cry.”

Many medical workers have continued to work without being paid, eating properly, seeing their families, having a home to go to, or having enough water to drink or wash in. More than 500 healthcare workers have been killed since October, which is more than in all conflicts in 2021 and 2022 combined. Hundreds more have been attacked, detained or even tortured.

Rohan Talbot, Director of Advocacy and Campaigns at MAP, said: “After 300 days of Israel’s military bombardment, siege and repeated atrocities, healthcare workers in Gaza are living a nightmare without any respite. The international community must not abandon them. Humanitarian aid and international healthcare workers must be granted safe, unrestricted access into and around Gaza to provide support and relief to exhausted local teams.

“The world must not normalise the horrors we are witnessing in Gaza. Governments, including the UK government, must immediately cease arms transfers to Israel and redouble efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire. Any delay will be measures not in days, but in Palestinian lives”

A MAP aid worker, recently returned from Gaza, said: “There are things in Gaza that quickly become normal to experience, that are in no way normal at all. I’ve never seen so many compounding horrors as I’ve seen in Gaza. It’s not just poor living conditions, it’s also the constant threat to life, the repeated forced displacement, the constant siege, and the list goes on. People are trying to survive in places that have been totally decimated by the Israeli military.”

ENDS

Full release at: https://www.map.org.uk/news/archive/post/1603-no-respite-for-exhausted-gaza-healthcare-workers-after-300-days-of-israelas-military-assault

Testimony from healthcare workers:

Dr. Atef Al-Hout, Director of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said: “What message can I possibly bother to send to the international community? What international community? It has done nothing in response to the killing of over 39,000 people, of more than 10,000 children – 10,000 lives, 10,000 tragedies. The international community has provided nothing but little humanitarian aid so we may be well-fed while being left for slaughter. It has not condemned or taken any action through this entire time, only sending aid – bread and some canned food so we do not die hungry. The international community that has done this to us has itself supplied Israel with weaponry to exterminate the Palestinian people”.

Dr. Marwan Shafiq Al-Hams, former director of Mohammed Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital (Al-Najjar Hospital) and now director of field hospitals in Gaza, said: “The Israeli military forces spare no one. They have systematically sought the complete destruction of the healthcare system. Hospitals must be internationally protected. They must be safe zones. International legal protection of medical teams, hospitals, and healthcare centres must be enforced. We ask every person of conscience to side with what is no less than right.”

Dr Mohammed Mohsen, an intensive care unit doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza’s Middle Area, said: “Please don’t stop talking about us, about our stories. We need this war to stop. We are human beings and we need to live in peace. I really want to tell you all that when we see you talking about us this gives us some release that at least if we passed away, we would not be anonymous.”

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About MAP

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a UK-registered charity dedicated to addressing the barriers to health for Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees.

• Based on more than 35 years of experience working in Gaza, and the expertise and commitment of its local team, MAP was one of the first humanitarian organisations to respond to the current crisis.
• MAP remains one of the only international organisations working to provide humanitarian and medical services, including in the north.
• Since October 2023 MAP have delivered over $9 million USD worth of aid to Gaza. This includes shipments of medical and shelter items, seven emergency medical team (EMT) delegations staffed by international medical experts, a malnutrition programme, and rehabilitation of services at hospitals damaged by Israel’s assault.
• While MAP’s emergency response is mainly focused on Gaza, they are also supporting medical services in the occupied West Bank, amid a significant escalation of Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians.

For more information please visit: www.map.org.uk