The hospital, the doctor, the patient... a martyr!

Dr. Saeed Joda was hurrying his steps to reach Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. The need was urgent, as dozens of wounded and martyrs had arrived, which made him, as much as possible, hasten his steps despite the extreme fatigue that had exhausted his body after long months of work and moving between hospitals, due to the severe shortage in their numbers because of their being targeted by the criminal occupation’s missiles.

Although he was wearing a white coat that confirmed his immunity as a doctor, that did not help him in the eyes of the occupation army, which deliberately executes doctors.

The targeting was deliberate, as he was targeted by a quadcopter equipped with surveillance devices capable of distinguishing that he was a doctor and not carrying a weapon in his hand.

The nature of the head injury confirmed that his execution was deliberate, although there is no justification for executing a doctor who was rushing to save the wounded.

Dr. Saeed is not the first, and will not be the last, in the repeated executions of medical personnel by the occupation’s missiles. More than 1,060 medical personnel were executed, and more than 319 medical personnel were arrested, a number of whom were later executed in the occupation’s prisons.

The executions of medical personnel were planned, especially since the occupation was deliberately killing doctors with rare specialties, which created a major deficit and shortage in many medical specialties.

Dr. Medhat Saidam is a very rare doctor in the Gaza Strip. He is one of the founders of the Burns Department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

It was a balm for Gaza's wounds, especially in wars, due to the damage and severe injuries that result to the wounded, as a number of them need a difficult operation related to burns and plastic surgery.

The occupation did not only execute him, but also executed his wife, children, and more than 25 of his relatives.

The white coat did not intercede for him either, although he enjoys immunity according to all international laws, Gaza is exempt from this immunity in the eyes of the unjust occupation.

One can imagine the amount of pressure that doctors, nurses and all medical staff are under. They are not only exhausted by the huge numbers that reach them after every massacre that leaves a large number of martyrs and wounded; they also work under missiles that bombard dilapidated hospitals and target them inside their corridors. Despite that, they continue their work with dedication. None of them left the wounded unless they became wounded or martyred like them.

It does not stop there; sometimes the doctor is surprised by the arrival of martyrs and wounded, some or all of whom are from his family. Then the injury becomes great, but despite that, he continues his work with his heart in pain and tears flooding his face, exhausted from fatigue, pain and sadness.

All that effort, and he lives on minimal food. All the medical staff gets after long hours of work is a small piece of bread, if there is one, just to keep him alive.

The white ambulances, with their clear features, identity and mission, were not spared from the occupation’s missiles, along with the paramedics and wounded inside them.

The continuation of the unjust war for a year and two months has exhausted the health sector and its staff, especially after the depletion of medical supplies, tools, and medicines. Even the anesthesia substance is no longer available, and many operations are performed without anesthesia.

There are many injuries that have baffled doctors in dealing with them, because the occupation uses advanced weapons that are classified as internationally prohibited, which cause the flesh and bones to melt, which has made finding many bodies impossible.

Many operations have been postponed, despite the wounded needing them, but there is nothing we can do about it, as the remaining dilapidated hospitals are unable to accommodate these operations.

Many of the wounded are not seriously injured, but because the occupation prevents the ambulance from reaching them, the wounded person bleeds for hours until he dies.

Patients are also in the circle of deliberate targeting. The young boy Ahmed, who was sitting in his wheelchair, physically exhausted, was injured in one of the raids. When he was transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital, and as soon as he arrived at the reception department, the hospital was targeted, which led to his immediate martyrdom.

He thought he would find safety in this place, but the truth was different. Everything is targeted by the occupation army, including patients, nurses, paramedics, and doctors.

Words fail to describe the medical situation in the Gaza Strip. The lived reality is much more difficult and greater than words can describe, especially since the hospitals and medical staff wearing white coats, as well as the patients in the Gaza Strip, are beyond any immunity in the eyes of the occupation army.

While writing these lines, Kamal Adwan Hospital was targeted repeatedly, its electricity was cut off, and its water tanks were targeted, which led to the oxygen devices stopping for patients, and the death of a number of them, and the same thing happened in the premature babies’ nursery department...

The last words uttered by the hospital director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the medical staff and the patients: “We are dying.”