The full scale of humanitarian suffering in Gaza comes into view through the spine-chilling testimony of an American surgeon who spent three weeks providing medical assistance in the ravaged Palestinian enclave. In his testimony, Dr. Mark Perlmutter describes the chaos of dying patients in overflowing hospitals with inadequate supplies of even the most basic medical equipment and essential consumable surgical items, which are critically vital for modern medicine.
Hospitals in Crisis: Lack of Basic Resources
While Al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals yielded some degree of positive outcomes for patients, the sheer lack of resources drove Perlmutter to a state of disbelief. He recounted an experience at one of the hospitals where staff were enduring incredible hardship to provide accurate diagnoses and treatment to patients because the hospital was out of ointments, soap, and antibiotics. Not having an operational X-ray machine further added to the impossibility of diagnosing and treating numerous complaints.
A Small Hospital Overwhelmed: Al-Aqsa’s Struggle
Describing Al-Aqsa hospital, Perlmutter said that it was “a tenth the size of any of the facilities in my home state.” He painted the picture of the hospital’s zealous efforts to deal with patients suffering from multiple complicated traumatic injuries. With relentless medical care by the clinicians, there was hope for recovery. Nevertheless, the hospital’s systolic and diastolic pressure of supply and demand created a scenario where patients were dying unnecessarily due to a lack of resources.
Preventable Deaths: The Tragic Reality
“Nevertheless, because of lack of equipment, many, many of those patients died who would certainly not have died at a better-equipped hospital,” Perlmutter revealed, underlining the medical plight.
The Wounds of War: Children Among the Victims
His narrative also included deeply disturbing images of child victims. From a clinical perspective, he told us about a 15-year-old girl “who was shot with Israeli machine gun fire while cycling” and a boy of 15 who was “macerated and shredded by Apache gunships” while riding with his grandmother, who had been fleeing the north. These portrayals drive home the brutal suffering of civilian people and children caught in crossfire.
Airstrike at Nasser Hospital: A Violation of Protection?
While attending Nasser Hospital, Perlmutter witnessed an Israeli airstrike on Ismail Barhoum, defendant of Hamas’s finance, where they claimed he was operating. He argued that as Barhoum was a patient under medical treatment, he should be protected by the Geneva Convention. Yet the Israeli military justification was that “he’s in the hospital to commit acts of terrorism.”
The dedication of Palestinian medical staff: A sharp contrast
In the midst of chaos and scarcity, Perlmutter commended the commitment and dedication of the Palestinian medical staff. He remarked how they ‘abandon their families’ as volunteers who almost always work for free. Perlmutter emphasised my temporary presence against the local medical spirit’s perseverance by saying, “We get to go home in a month, which they don’t.”
A humanitarian catastrophe: Aid blocked at the borders
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has described the situation in Gaza as ‘dire,’ observing that the flow of humanitarian aid is still significantly curtailed at crossing borders. This blockage aggravates the already critical medical supplies shortage and subsidises the suffering population.
The toll of the onslaught: a catastrophic loss of life
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza reported that the Palestinians’ deaths in the retaliation of the Israeli military’s onslaughts exceeded 15,000 children. They further added that 921 Palestinians have died since Israel renewed its strikes on 18 March, breaking a ceasefire that had been holding since December.
Critical Alert: Anticipated Increase in Deaths
Perlmutter pointed out a potential impending death toll. In his view, if the Israeli assaults persist and medical supplies continue to choke the flow into the hospitals, the hospitalised Palestinians suffering from crippling injuries, which are manageable by modern medicine, will inescapably increase. The profound effects of this situation accentuate the need for immediate action to be taken to address the injury to humanity, which endeavours to provide adequate medical help to the injured”.
