British doctors who worked at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip said that they had seen the worst injuries there in their professional lives, and that they were often forced to treat the wounded without medical equipment.

The British doctors, Professor Dr. Nick Maynard, Dr. Deborah Harrington, and Dr. James Smith, were able to work in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza for two weeks, from the end of December 2023 until January 9, 2024, at the initiative of the International Rescue Committee and the Medical Aid Platform. For the Palestinians.

British doctors spoke about their experiences in the region, in light of the continued Israeli bombing.

Maynard, who works as a surgeon in Oxford, England, said that they arrived in Gaza after a one-day trip from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and that work began coinciding with Christmas (December 25).

Maynard expressed his first impression when he entered Gaza, saying, “The first thing that caught our attention after passing through the Rafah border gate was the overcrowding of the displaced. We saw hundreds of carts drawn by donkeys filled with people and goods.”

Maynard indicated that he had been meeting with those in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli attacks and was preparing himself for what he would see, and said, “But what I saw was much worse than I expected.” “At Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, I saw the most horrific injuries that I did not expect to see in my professional life.”

Maynard stated that they saw many children with fatal burns, loss of limbs, and fatal injuries to the chest and abdomen. “Gaza was like hell on earth,” he said.

We conducted medical interventions on the ground

Maynard noted that Israel is systematically targeting Gaza residents and health care system facilities in the Strip.

“If the whole world works together and forces Israel to cease fire, it is possible for Gaza to recover,” he said.

He added that the international community must support Gaza for its reconstruction.

Regarding his observations in Gaza, Maynard said, “The capabilities in the operating rooms were limited in most cases.

Sometimes there was no water. We used to clean our hands using alcohol only. We often lacked equipment and clothing.

Some days, we did not have painkillers to use to treat children with serious burns or loss of limbs. “

“I saw a 6-year-old boy lying on the floor in the emergency room. There were not enough doctors to care for the child. The child's family was also not around. He had extremely painful burns and open chest wounds. We immediately took him to the recovery area. Since there were not enough beds or stretchers, we performed the necessary medical interventions on the ground.”

The hospital's capacity is 300 percent

For her part, obstetrician Deborah Harrington commented on the situation in the hospital by saying: “I cannot explain how scary it was.

“There are people who need care not only in the hospital building but around it as well.”

Harrington stated that tents were set up around the hospital, which was crowded with wounded children, which left a deep impression on her.

“A very large number of children were arriving with serious burns, amputations, and horrific injuries, and hospital equipment was insufficient for such a large number,” she said.

Harrington stressed that the only solution for Gaza to get out of its current situation is an immediate ceasefire.

She continued, “Most of the cases that arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital were extremely terrible.” The hospital's capabilities were not able to handle this level of serious cases. The hospital's capacity was 300 percent. There were people waiting for treatment everywhere, most of them seriously injured. In addition, there were relatives of sick and displaced people. “There was not an inch of the hospital empty of people.”

I saw the most dangerous burns in Gaza

In turn, emergency physician James Smith, who worked in several areas witnessing conflicts and crises, said that he was one of a team of doctors consisting of 9 people working in Gaza.

Smith noted that the emergency department, which is the most equipped department, was having difficulty responding to the number of patients it received.

Smith pointed out that many of the hospital's workers are Palestinian health care employees, in addition to those displaced from other hospitals.

Smith noted that most basic medical supplies were unavailable. He said, “One day we ran out of gauze that we used to bandage wounds, and the next day we ran out of morphine, which we used for people suffering from serious pain.” I have worked for many humanitarian organizations and seen patients in many conflict zones for years, but I have never seen traumatic injuries of this scale and severity. The Gaza experience was truly the greatest event I have ever experienced.”

Smith concluded by noting that he witnessed many fatal cases, from burns that destroyed the skin and muscles to the bones, and he also witnessed many horrific amputations.

Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of Saturday, left 24,927 dead, 62,388 injured, and a humanitarian and health disaster, and caused the displacement of about 1.9 million people, that is, more than 85 percent of the Strip’s population, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations. United.

(Anatolia)