Sally Ibrahim
The New Arab / April 4, 2025
“The bombs never stopped. We see bodies in the streets, and no one can reach them,” Al-Shujaiya resident Obaida al-Rubai told TNA.
Gaza – Chaos, confusion, and fear permeate the air inside the Arab Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital, which has become a lifeline amid the devastation, is overwhelmed by the influx of victims.
Agonising moans and screams echo through the crumbling hallways as doctors and nurses rush to treat the never-ending stream of casualties. In every corner of the medical facility, bodies and wounded individuals are swiftly moved from one makeshift operating table to another.
The flickering lights and the stench of blood add to the nightmarish scene. The pressure on the hospital’s medical staff is unimaginable, with ambulances arriving relentlessly and patients being admitted constantly, many in critical condition.
That’s how Munir al-Bursh, the general director of the Gaza-based health ministry, described to The New Arab the current situation at Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
“We don’t have enough medicine, there aren’t enough rooms, and medical equipment is almost non-existent,” he remarked. “We are doing everything we can to save lives but face a real crisis.”
Al-Bursh, who has witnessed the medical system buckle under the weight of Israel’s escalating military operations, added, “This is not just a battle against the occupation, but also a race against time and dwindling resources.”
The situation has reached such dire levels that medical staff are forced to prioritise treating those with the most severe injuries first and leaving the less critical cases to wait, he explained.
“Gaza is dying in every possible sense. There is no proper treatment for the victims, nor are there enough doctors to handle the staggering number of casualties. The Israeli military’s escalating attacks have brought us to the brink,” he added.
On Thursday, the Israeli army escalated its military operation in the city of Gaza, particularly in Al-Shujaiya and Al-Tuffah neighbourhoods, issuing mass evacuation orders.
Then, the Israeli army committed a new massacre, killing about 31 Palestinians, including 18 children, and wounding 100 others by attacking the Dar al-Arqam school in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesman of the Palestinian Civil Defence.
Speaking to TNA, local eyewitnesses said that the Israeli army launched a ground operation in Al-Shujaiya following a night of airstrikes.
They described a terrifying experience as explosions rattled the streets, leaving victims stranded out in the open.
“The bombs never stopped. We see bodies in the streets, and no one can reach them,” Al-Shujaiya resident Obaida al-Rubai told TNA. “What will happen next? Will they kill us all? Will they drop a bomb to wipe us out?”
“The situation is catastrophic,” Al-Bursh said, acknowledging the overwhelming number of victims pouring into Gaza’s hospitals.
Al-Bursh pointed out the alarming statistic that 30 per cent of those killed in the recent attacks are children. “This shows that the Israeli army is deliberately targeting children,” he said, calling it a systematic campaign of violence.
“But what makes it worse is the silence from the international, Arab, and Islamic worlds regarding the massacres committed by the Israeli army, especially against children and women,” he stressed.
Around the clock, ambulance crews inside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city struggle to evacuate the wounded amid the constant barrage of explosions.
Israeli airstrikes have targeted civilian homes, displaced persons’ tents, and shelters. Mahmoud Basal said that the Israeli army had committed massacres, including the deaths of 25 members of the Al-Aqqad family, with another 25 still trapped under rubble.
Amid these crises, the medical situation continues to deteriorate. The overcrowded Nasser Hospital is overwhelmed and unable to accommodate more victims.
Due to a lack of medical supplies, doctors are forced to use primitive methods. Atef Al-Hout, the hospital’s director, told TNA, “We are in a catastrophic state. There are no critical medications, no operating rooms, and the doctors are working under extreme duress.”
“We had some reserves of medicines, but they are gone now. We can no longer hide the danger we are facing. As the bombings intensify and casualties rise, Gaza’s medical infrastructure is collapsing,” he added.
Many of the injured lie waiting for treatment while doctors continue working in impossible conditions, with scarce medical supplies, he explained.
“We need everything: painkillers, surgical equipment, even basic tools, but there’s nothing,” Al-Hout said. “We are just doing the best we can with our hands and hearts.”
Meanwhile, in Rafah, Israeli artillery is also targeting homes, pushing more residents to flee, according to eyewitnesses.
“The entire neighbourhood was bombarded. We have no place to go,” said Mohammed Zourob, a Rafah resident who sought treatment at Nasser Hospital.
“The world is watching, but no real action is being taken,” he added. “Gaza is slowly dying, and our rights are being trampled on every day. We are not just victims of bombs. We are being forgotten, abandoned by the world.”
Sally Ibrahim is The New Arab’s correspondent from Gaza
