Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip is facing extremely dire conditions amidst the mounting number of wounded and urgent medical needs due to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip.
Hospital spokesperson Dr Khalil al-Daqran told the Qatar News Agency (QNA) Thursday that the number of Palestinian wounded arriving at the hospital is in the hundreds as a result of the ongoing aggression.
The emergency department, he said, is unable to accommodate the increasing number of serious injuries.
Furthermore, the hospital's inpatient wards are completely full and cannot receive new patients, while all wards are overcrowded with patients beyond their operational capacity.
Dr al-Daqran said that work in the hospital's operating rooms had been halted due to a lack of hospital beds, while a number of patients remain hospitalised due to a lack of space to transport them.
The hospital, he continued, is facing a severe shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies, in addition to the extremely difficult working conditions for healthcare workers due to scarcity of food, medical supplies, medicines, and equipment, in addition to the starvation that is devastating patients.
Dr al-Daqran also pointed to a dangerous increase in cases of malnutrition among children and adolescents, adding that the already exhausted medical staff are struggling to save them.
Warning that the situation at the hospital is catastrophic by any standard, he appealed to official, humanitarian, and international bodies to urgently intervene to provide the necessary support, ensure the continuity of healthcare services, and save lives.
Dr al-Daqran also called on the world to intervene to stop the killing of civilians and allow the entry of aid and food into the Gaza Strip.
The director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, confirmed in a previous interview with the QNA that the Gaza Strip's hospitals are in their worst condition, and that the bed occupancy at Al-Shifa Complex has exceeded 250%.
He added that anaesthetics will run out in the hospital and elsewhere within days.
