Palestinian Sarah Awad highlighted the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation at Al-Wafa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, relaying photos and testimonies of the suffering of patients and medical staff due to the bombing, shortages of medicines and medical equipment, and scarcity of food supplies.
In her report, published by Truthout, an American website concerned with human rights and civil liberties issues, Awad explained that the Israeli army’s claim that “the building is no longer used as a hospital” is nothing but misleading propaganda promoted by the Jerusalem Post to justify the bombing that targeted it.
Upon her return to the hospital three months later, she observed it overcrowded with patients. She interviewed medical staff and the injured, telling the story of a hospital that had reached the heights of exhaustion and suffering.
The author quoted Dr. Wael Khalifa, director of Al-Wafa Hospital, as saying that the hospital was no longer able to provide even the most basic care, with a severe shortage of medical equipment. He added that there were hundreds of patients on waiting lists, including 100 critical cases in urgent need of beds.
Dr. Khalifa confirmed that hunger had reached catastrophic levels inside the hospital, noting that the situation had worsened since the start of the mass starvation in Gaza.
He added that the medical staff, in turn, are suffering from exhaustion and hunger, hindering their ability to provide care. Many nurses have experienced dizziness while performing their duties.
Nurse Wissam Al-Shawa, who appeared exhausted and hopeless, said her heart breaks as she sees her patients dying of hunger. “I wish I could feed them, but I have nothing,” she said.
