As the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel shows no signs of stopping, doctors in the Gaza Strip are desperately trying to save their youngest patients from the effects of the violence.
The city of Gaza has long been under siege by both Palestinian and Israeli forces, and the most recent bout of fighting has put an additional strain on the city’s already strained healthcare system. The largest hospital in Gaza, al-Shifa, is reportedly being targeted by both sides in the conflict, leaving healthcare workers in a desperate race against time to save the lives of newborn infants.
Dr. Musa Abu Mussalam, director of al-Shifa hospital, told reporters: “The situation in the hospital is difficult. We are trying our best to provide the best care we can for newborns who are at risk. But with each day that passes, the situation is deteriorating.”
The hospital is reportedly running on generators, and faces the constant risk of a power outage. This has hindered Dr. Musa and his team’s capacity to provide medical care to the newborns and other patients of the hospital.
A more dire situation is unfolding on the ground as Gaza is subjected to relentless airstrikes by Israel, which claims it is targeting extremist militants. The United Nations estimates that more than 250,000 of the two million residents of Gaza have been displaced and 80% of the population are now in need of humanitarian aid, including food, water, and medical supplies.
Israel has dismissed criticism that it is targeting civilians in its airstrikes, insisting that its targets are militants belonging to Hamas. However, the international community has criticized Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip, saying they are causing unnecessary harm and suffering to innocent civilians, including children and newborns.
With the conflict playing out in Gaza, doctors and nurses remain in a precarious position, scrambling to save the lives of the smallest and most vulnerable casualties of the conflict. For now, health workers can only hope for a resolution to this deadly conflict and an end to the suffering of innocent civilians.