As fighting intensifies in Gaza City, the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital is now desperate. Patients and their healthcare providers shouldn’t be put in this bind. Overwhelming overcrowding, dire shortages of medical supplies and equipment, and the constant fear of impending military action hang over them. The hourglass for Israel’s planned military offensive is running out quickly. Climate and health They’re particularly worried about evacuating the sick and injured—as officials made clear before the storm.
Dr. Munir Abdallah al-Barsh, senior physician in Al-Shifa Hospital, the main Gaza hospital, said of their current situation, “We hope someone will come to help us. He recounted the dire situation of patients being packed into rooms, where as many as three people share one hospital bed. And the health care institution is unable to serve the onslaught of new incoming patients. It is up against a growing, critical shortage of essential services from intensive-care space to maternity wards.
“Hospital capacity in the southern parts of the Gaza Strip is at more than 300 percent,” Dr. al-Barsh noted. This startling statistic highlights the astonishing demand for resources as the hospital begins to experience an overwhelming level of need.
Urgent Medical Needs and Overcrowding
Father of seven, 47-year-old Rami Musa Diab al-Habil and his family are among the countless patients at Al-Shifa Hospital. Additionally, he suffered serious injuries from shrapnel during a suicide bombing in early August. As his health continued to fail, he wrote of his fear over what would happen if he had to be evacuated.
How can I go down south like this with an open sore—“ he cried.… I can hardly go up and down on the bed; I am not going to leave. His description of his injury was harrowing: “From the beginning of my abdomen to the end of my groin, split open.”
The hardships befalling Rami are the same troubles experienced by most who try to escape from the clutches of addiction. Dr. al-Barsh reinforced that these patients cannot be evacuated without creating further risk. Their destiny is mortality on their mattresses,” he said, underscoring the seriousness of their situations.
The hospital’s capacity constraints are made worse by a lack of supplies. Basic necessities like clean surgical tools are in short supply, meaning doctors can’t even perform lifesaving surgeries. Jamil Tafis cried out, “There are no sterile ORs for me! His leg will require metal plates, and his inability to move due to his extensive injuries.
Threat of Military Action
In light of the escalating situation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued a call for hospitals, including Al-Shifa, to evacuate sick and injured Palestinians ahead of a full-scale military invasion. This directive has understandably struck fear into the hearts of healthcare providers.
Dr. al-Barsh referred to this invitation as “a pre-disaster call.” He cautioned that should the occupation implement its plans, it would mean the killing of all patients and the injured. This plain folks warning drives home the deadly consequences of FEMA’s decision. The threat of military action to evacuation goes beyond the immediate concern of evacuating them — it threatens the lives of these most vulnerable patients in a much broader manner.
He cited the recent history of attacks on medical facilities as a harbinger of the use of these complex operators against hospitals like Al-Shifa. That’s why the occupation has stormed the hospitals. Both al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and all the hospitals in the south were attacked, as was Nasser Hospital on four separate occasions.
The urgency for medical attention is palpable, with 120 Palestinians on ventilators at Al-Shifa Hospital alone. Yet healthcare workers are under intense strain as they deal with a myriad of constraints, all the while working to provide the best quality of care.
The Human Cost of Conflict
The toll of the current deadly conflict has robbed countless patients of any hope or promise for their future. Dr. al-Barsh expressed a deep disappointment with the ineffectiveness in evacuating those in desperate need. Yet he was clear that this call is not simply for death to be dealt. It further demands that they shoot to kill the wounded, the injured, and the starving civilians of Gaza City.
As the world focuses its gaze on Gaza City, we must remember the true price of war is paid by civilians. Patients such as this man, Rami Musa Diab al-Habil, are exposed to daily violence, cruelty and disregard. Their underlying need for consistent, quality medical care is ignored.
Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza City are facing unimaginable stress simply to survive living there. Today, hospitals are facing a double pressure with the overwhelming number of patients seeking treatment and the catastrophic threats posed by potential military action.
