The bombardment of Gaza is now constant. My nine-year-old asked me if he would go to heaven or hell
Palestinians carry a wounded child at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, 9 October 2023
Mahmoud Shalabi writes in The Guardian:
Here in Gaza, what is happening under Israeli military bombardment has never been seen before. Homes are being destroyed without residents being warned. Israeli missiles are hitting high-rise buildings, mosques, streets – and we are asking ourselves “What’s still to come?” It’s a question we fear to answer.
At Medical Aid for Palestinians, we have released all our pre-positioned stocks of medical supplies to hospitals, as health services have been overwhelmed by the huge influx of injuries. On Saturday, I was going home from a visit to one of our warehouses after having distributed emergency supplies. Suddenly, the sky flashed orange, and there was a massive explosion. I saw people running, leaping for cover, covering their heads, as the airstrike hit. A house had been bombed – one that had been rebuilt after having been destroyed during Israel’s military offensive in 2021.
Israel’s attacks are constant, and they intensify at night. The impact on Gaza’s million children – almost half the population – is severe. My kids run towards their mum and me when an airstrike happens nearby. I hope that these scars will heal after this is over, but deep down I know it is unlikely.
As of Monday, Israel has imposed a “total closure” on Gaza – effectively a siege, restricting the entry of fuel, electricity, and even food and water – despite its obligations under international law. We are suffering with almost no electricity, and it will only get worse. We had no electricity from 3pm on Sunday until 9am on Monday.
Local health services, meanwhile, are completely overwhelmed. For more than 16 years, Gaza has been suffering from a closure and blockade repeatedly condemned as an illegal form of collective punishment. As the blockade has relentlessly continued, our capacities have been weakened. Even before this escalation, Gaza’s beleaguered health system was struggling to cope, with 48% of essential medicines and 26% of medical disposables either completely unavailable or in critically short supply. Now things are even worse, and worse than during any other previous Israeli assault.
One healthcare worker described to me the situation at Gaza’s largest emergency department as a “slaughterhouse”, with bodies on the floor and no space to deal with the massive number of injuries.