Northern Gaza has been under siege for weeks, trapping tens of thousands of Palestinians inside hospitals and residential areas such as Jabalia refugee camp as the Israeli army attacks the area.
In recent days, Israeli forces have targeted the last remaining hospitals in the north, including the Indonesian, Al-Awda, and Kamal Adwan hospitals. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on Israeli forces to immediately stop attacking health facilities, cease the all-out war on the people of Gaza, and allow for the evacuation of people in need of vital care.
Among those trapped in the north are MSF staff like Dr. Mohammed Obeid, an orthopedic surgeon currently sheltering and working at Kamal Adwan Hospital as Israeli forces besiege and attack it.
Dr. Mohammed Obeid, MSF orthopedic surgeon at Kamal Adwan Hospital:
“There is death in all types and forms in Kamal Adwan Hospital and North Gaza. The bombardment does not stop. The artillery does not stop. The planes do not stop. There is heavy shelling, and the hospital is [being] targeted too. It just looks like a movie—it does not seem real.
“About five days ago, my house was hit. They completely blew up the roof and water tanks, but we were on the ground floor and only one person got injured, thank God. We left a few times, moving to different areas. My family and neighbors were terrified. I [took] shelter in Kamal Adwan Hospital with my wife and children, and I am now working here, where I can treat numerous patients.
“There are no words to describe the situation in Kamal Adwan Hospital: It is disastrous. The hospital is completely overwhelmed. There are injured people everywhere, outside and inside the hospital, and we do not have medical and surgical equipment to treat them.
“Ambulances cannot move. We cannot reach the bodies of the people killed and cannot save the injured ones who lie in the streets. Many of them died before reaching the hospital, and others died inside the hospital as we could not treat their wounds.
“We have 30 people dead inside the hospital, and around 130 injured patients who need urgent medical care. Medical staff are exhausted, and many are injured as well. We feel hopeless. I just don’t have words.
“We call on all the countries in the world to consider north Gaza, and to lift the blockade that has led to the death of so many people.”
Dr. Obeid is among more than 800 MSF staff currently working in Gaza, including 778 locally hired Palestinian staff. In the early months of the war, he shared updates from Al-Shifa Hospital, describing amputating a child and being trapped when the hospital came under siege in November.
Learn more about MSF operations in Gaza >>
We speak out. Get emails
Research Nov 11, 2024
Every climate action counts: MSF and the Lancet Countdown joint brief ...
Read More
