Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, accused the Israeli occupation army of using the hospital as a military base and arresting or expelling most of the employees from work. He spoke of the horrors in the hospital to which doctors, workers and patients are exposed by the Israeli army.
Dr. Abu Safiya, who was injured by shrapnel from an Israeli air strike and underwent surgery last month, begged the world to help them, saying that the human mind cannot imagine all this death, body parts and blood surrounding doctors around the clock.
Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and the main doctor in Gaza, sent audio and video messages to the humanitarian organization MedGlobal to the New York Times, describing the daily situation in the hospital and the difficulties he and his remaining staff faced during six days in October and November.
Below are excerpts from his audio and video messages:
I am one of the last doctors in this hospital in Gaza, begging the world to help us.
Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza is one of the few remaining centers for medical services in the region. Since Israel’s war in Gaza began, the hospital has also been a site of conflict. The Israeli army has accused the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of using the hospital as a base, and has raided it repeatedly since October 7. October 2023.
Parts of the facility were damaged and destroyed from direct attacks and bombings that occurred nearby. In late October, the Israeli army arrested or expelled most of the staff. A few doctors and nurses remain, sometimes caring for more than 100 patients.
Not being a surgeon, I had to operate on patients due to a shortage of trained surgeons. I had to decide who got treatment and who didn’t, given the dwindling resources available. I also had to navigate a tense situation with surrounding Israeli forces, and do all of this in… When my heart was filled with sadness for my son, who was martyred at the end of last October and buried in the hospital grounds.
October 30
Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I entered the operating room to perform surgery on the stomach of a 4-year-old child whose house was destroyed by bombing. He was bleeding a lot from his stomach, but somehow I was able to perform the operation, and thank God that child’s life was saved.
We are working outside our areas of specialization because we no longer have a qualified surgical team. We have asked the world for protection for more than 50 days, but unfortunately there has been no response. I am amazed at this world that claims to believe in humanity and democracy but does not respond! Not even the World Health Organization has any protection here!
The human mind cannot imagine all the death, blood, and body parts that surround us around the clock. But it remains our responsibility to continue providing humanitarian services.
October 31
The situation is extremely catastrophic. Today the hospital was struck, and this attack caused damage to the third floor and a warehouse for medical goods and supplies. Water tanks and oxygen containers designated for the dialysis unit were destroyed. The engineering and maintenance department was also damaged, which led to paralysis of our health services, and 4 were injured. Members of the medical staff were trying to put out the fire, without protection and without sufficient materials to extinguish the flames. Unfortunately, they suffered burns of varying degrees.
I still have approximately 85 patients, 19 of whom are children, including two newborns. We are now trying, just trying, to save as many lives as possible. We see the wounded dying one after another due to the lack of adequately trained medical staff.
November 1st
These are very difficult days we are going through now. The entire northern Gaza Strip remains under siege, with barely any medical supplies or very few medical relief teams allowed in, and dozens of patients still waiting for operations, including orthopedics, general surgery for adults and children, and burn reconstruction surgery.
We are no longer able to prioritize incoming cases that may require immediate medical attention over other cases that arrive around the clock due to Israeli attacks and bombings in the area. Most of the wounded who arrive here come on foot, and some come bleeding and in a very serious condition.
Once again, we ask the whole world and the international community to provide real protection for the healthcare system. There must be a safe and appropriate humanitarian corridor for the healthcare system and allow the entry of medical relief teams and medical necessities.
November 3
Throughout the night, there were continuous bombings and bombings of the buildings surrounding the hospital. The explosions caused severe damage, even affecting the hospital itself. Most of the doors were blown out, and many windows were shattered. This instilled a feeling of terror and fear in the souls of the patients.
No doctors or medical workers came to the hospital, and upon following up on this matter, we learned that specialized workers were not allowed to enter northern Gaza, and we currently have 120 patients.
Patients and children running amid bombed hospitals and water tanks. Can we imagine seeing this scene at Boston Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, or Children’s National Hospital in Washington?
November 4
It is day 29 of the siege on the northern Gaza Strip. Yesterday the hospital was attacked at the same time that the World Health Organization was here to evacuate some patients. People sought protection by hiding wherever they could. We have received no explanation as to what happened or why it happened. This resulted in The unfortunate attack resulted in a number of injuries to patients, including women.
A while ago, we were in the operating room, and we performed surgery on a 13-year-old girl who was injured by shrapnel in the abdomen during the recent attack. Her injury was very serious in the stomach, and God willing, her condition will stabilize in the coming hours.
Large numbers of people continue to arrive at the emergency room to receive medical care, but those who cannot reach their fate are unknown. There are people buried under the rubble, and there are no tools to remove the rubble in order to find them. The situation is tragic and one finds it difficult to describe what we are experiencing.
November 6
We are still trapped inside the hospital. The hospital was hit for 3 consecutive days. The attacks were terrifying, and the storage rooms and pharmacy were destroyed.
Unfortunately, this was a ferocious attack that left many injured, including children who were under anesthesia because they were undergoing surgery at the time, and a number of medical workers who were providing care in the emergency room were injured.
We feel as if the countries of the world live in a different world than the one we are in. We are suffering and paying the price for the genocide that is happening to our people here in the northern Gaza Strip.