By Anas Baba
Khan Yunis, Gaza, Dec 13 (EFE).- The Nasser Hospital in the war-ravaged southern Gaza Strip stands as an isolated island in a sea of rubble, encircled by mountains of debris as its medical infrastructure lies in ruins.
Thousands of displaced Palestinians, seeking refuge in the southern region’s largest health facility, are grappling with the repercussions of an enduring Israeli siege.
The hospital is situated in the heart of Khan Younis city, where hundreds of thousands of Gazans relocated from the north of the enclave after Israel’s military evacuation orders to avoid the brunt of the war.
Amid the expanding Israeli military offensive, including air strikes and ground troops in Khan Younis, the stronghold of Hamas and its leader Yayha Sinwar, southern areas have transformed into disaster zones, trapping thousands of Gazan families.
The waiting room at Nasser Hospital has turned into a crowded camp, with nurses navigating through mats and blankets in dimly lit hallways due to the lack of electricity.
Husam, a 54-year-old grandmother, has sought shelter with 34 family members in the hospital for over 45 days.
Expressing frustration, she noted that the number of displaced people has increased because they were asked to leave their homes and were told that there were safe places in the south, but were bombed anyway.
“What harm have these children and women done? Why doesn’t Israel fight the resistance fighters?”
Within the hospital, children play as best they can while doctors struggle to cope with treating an escalating number of injured in attacks and those falling ill due to epidemic outbreaks.
“The health situation in hospitals in the south is catastrophic and unbearable; there is a lack of therapeutic and clinical capacities,” said Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.
Authorities said intensive care units had surpassed their capacity by 233 percent.
The buildings surrounding the hospital now lie as hills of rubble, where rescuers desperately look for any survivors with bare hands.
Inmates take out blankets, small gas tanks, and children’s toys from between the broken partitions.
“As you can see, the (Israeli) fighters left nothing behind, neither buildings nor humans,” an agent from the Gaza Civil Defense told EFE, examining the ruins.
With hands in his pockets, a crestfallen boy observes the apocalyptic scene.
A bit farther away, on passable streets, families strive to survive: some queue up to refill their water buckets, others erect tents on esplanades, and some flee—on foot, by bicycle, or by car—toward Rafah at the southern end amid persisting bombings.
While some load donkey carts with their most precious belongings, others cram a van with as many people as possible—always against the backdrop of distant gunshots.
Israeli attacks on the strip have caused more than 18,400 deaths, 50,000 injuries, and 1.8 million displaced people since the war began on October 7.
Hospitals in the strip are functioning at minimal levels, grappling with shortages of drinking water, food, medicine, electricity, and fuel, compounded by constant attacks.
Israeli warplanes targeted the surroundings of al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, with artillery surrounding the area.
In the north of the strip, the Israeli Army raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, reminiscent of last month’s operation at al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s primary medical center, where tunnels and infrastructure belonging to the Islamist group Hamas, the de facto controller of the enclave, were uncovered.
“Israeli occupation forces stormed the Kamal Adwan hospital after besieging and bombing it for several days and arresting its director,” said the Gaza Health Ministry, stating that Israeli soldiers “removed more than 70” health personnel to unknown places.
The Israeli Army has issued evacuation orders for remaining personnel and patients, including 65 wounded and 12 sick children, according to the health ministry.
The health ministry said the Israeli Army has targeted 137 medical institutions in the strip, resulting in the deaths of nearly 300 medical personnel.
Twenty-two hospitals and 46 primary care centers have been rendered non-operational, said the ministry. EFE
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