DayofPal– As relentless Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Gaza, doctors at the Baptist Hospital face impossible choices, forced to prioritize some patients over others amid an unprecedented surge of casualties.
The hospital, already operating at full capacity, has stopped admitting new patients, its resources stretched to the limit.
Hospital director Dr. Fadel Naeem described the dire situation to Al Jazeera, revealing that the facility has only four operating rooms, a woefully inadequate number given the influx of wounded.
The overwhelming burden has already cost three lives, with patients dying as they await treatment.
“Our emergency rooms are overflowing, and our medical staff is exhausted,” Dr. Naeem said. “We are working with various organizations to relocate stable patients, hoping to free up space for new admissions, but it is not enough.”
Physicians are making life-or-death decisions based on the severity of injuries and the likelihood of survival. Those who require the least time and medical supplies are prioritized, a grim strategy designed to maximize the number of lives saved.
The crisis escalated on Thursday when Israeli airstrikes struck Dar Al-Arqam School in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood, where displaced families had sought refuge. The attack killed 31 people and wounded at least 100 others, many of whom were rushed to Baptist Hospital.
Under relentless bombardment, the hospital has expanded its capacity to 120 beds, up from the pre-war range of 30 to 50, but the influx of casualties continues to overwhelm its infrastructure.
On Thursday alone, 180 injured people arrived, further straining the already depleted medical resources. Dr. Naeem is scrambling to transfer critically wounded patients to other hospitals, though options are rapidly dwindling.
“There is no safe place in Gaza,” he warned, adding that “Most of our medical facilities have been destroyed.”
Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, issued an urgent warning that the enclave’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. He reported witnessing unprecedented injuries, severe burns, disfigurements, and wounds consistent with the use of new, more destructive weaponry.
The Palestinian Health Ministry echoed this alarm, stating that the health sector is at a breaking point. “Israeli aggression has pushed Gaza’s healthcare system to the brink of total collapse,” the ministry declared in a statement.
Hospitals across the territory are operating far beyond their intended capacity, medical supplies are running dangerously low, and fuel shortages threaten to disable life-saving equipment.
Thousands of patients, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, face life-threatening conditions with little hope of adequate medical care.
As the bombardment of Al-Shujaiyya and other districts continues, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with no end in sight. The international community watches as Gaza’s healthcare system, battered and besieged, teeters on the edge of catastrophe.
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