By: Maram Humaid
Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Abdelrahman Abu Shawish did not expect to be making life-altering decisions for his patients so soon after graduating from medical school at Gaza’s Azhar University.
The 25-year-old, who lives with his family in the Nuseirat refugee camp, began volunteering in the surgical department of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on October 10 and found himself deciding whether a wounded person requires a full or partial amputation of their limbs.
“The injuries that I saw in the [May] 2021 war more or less looked the same,” he told Al Jazeera. “But this time around, I’ve seen so many different types, from varying degrees of burns to amputated limbs, to deep lacerations and different types of shrapnel.”
The hospital, which was meant to serve the central town of Deir el-Balah, has become the Gaza Strip’s main treatment facility due to the complete collapse of hospitals in Gaza City and northern Gaza.
Nearly two-thirds of the strip’s hospitals – 26 out of 35 – have stopped functioning following weeks of bombardment by Israeli forces on the territory, which began on October 7. At least 1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes and the massive aerial and ground assault on Gaza has destroyed much of its infrastructure, including more than half the homes.
Furthermore, the total siege imposed by Israel on the enclave means hospitals have run out of fuel, electricity and clean water.
“We have very limited medical supplies,” Abu Shawish said. “When dozens of wounded people come to the hospital as a result of an Israeli attack, we often can’t treat them all at once because we need to sterilise our tools as we don’t have enough.”
The lack of resources means doctors can do little more than the minimum required to keep their patients alive. Proper treatment is out of the question.
“We’re unable to remove all the shrapnel from a wounded person’s body, only the pieces that threaten their lives,” Abu Shawish explained. “That’s still dangerous, as shrapnel can cause infections that lead to multiple organ failure, but we hope they can follow up once the war is over.”
The young doctor, who had studied German in preparation for going to Germany for his residency, said he has had to downgrade his aspirations for his career.
“I had big dreams before the war but now I just hope for me and my family to stay alive,” he said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/19/giving-up-is-not-an-option-volunteer-doctors-at-al-aqsa-martyrs-hospital