Nightmare day for Gaza hospital doctors
Even battle-tested emergency doctors at Nasser Hospital say they have never had a worse day.
Over the space of a few minutes, 65 residents wounded in an Israeli missile attack were ferried to the hospital in cars and ambulances, some with gunshot wounds, others with shrapnel injuries.
Those hurt ranged in age from eight to 75.
Dr Mohammed Abu Dallal, chief of the emergency department, said all doctors were called in, including gynaecologists and paediatricians. Several operations were carried out simultaneously in the same room. In all 27 operations were carried out. “Blood covered everything,” Abu Dallal said.
Hours later, attendants mopped the hallways and some doctors rested in the courtyard, smoking or speaking on telephones, their white coats covered with blood.
Suddenly, shots from heavy machine guns and assault rifles hit the courtyard, where hundreds of people crowded the back entrance near the morgue to find out about the fate of friends and relatives.
Israel said soldiers opened fire in response to mortar shells fired by Palestinians from nearby, and witnesses said they heard two explosions that could have come from mortars just before the Israeli fire began.
Those in the courtyard scrambled for cover behind walls, trees and parked ambulances. One bullet barely missed this reporter, who was also hit in the shoe by a small bullet fragment.
A paramedic was struck in the chest by shrapnel. He lifted his shirt, revealing a bloodied chest, was patched up and returned to work. About 60 yards away, a 14-year-old boy was hit in the neck and rushed into surgery.
Many doctors at Nasser Hospital, the largest in the southern Gaza Strip, have years of experience in patching up gunshot wounds and other injuries sustained in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops. The hospital director, Dr Haidar al-Kidreh, said it was his most difficult day in his 25 years on the job.
Standing in a hallway, Wissam Abdeen, 29, nursed his bandaged right arm. He said he was among a number of people who left their homes following the Israeli raid to inspect the damage.
“We heard the sound of helicopters. There were two of them. I looked to one of the people walking near me and said to him, ‘God save us, why are they back again?”’ he said.
“Two minutes after that, when I was talking to other friends in the street, I heard the sound of something coming from the air and I saw the flames. Then a big explosion lifted me up and blew me 10 yards away.”
The Israeli military said the missile was aimed at a group of armed men who fired shots and threw grenades at soldiers. Abdeen and another witness, Abedi Ashour, said there were no gunmen in the crowd.
Later, people gathered to collect the bodies for burial. Thousands descended into the streets as coffins were raised up on shoulders and cries of revenge filled the air.
Standing with relatives of those killed, Shadi Al Najar carried an automatic rifle in his hand, his head bandaged. He said he shot at the tanks as they first entered Khan Younis.
“Israel is going to have a lesson it won’t forget,” he said, several ammunition clips shoved into the back pocket of his jeans. “We are not going to keep silent over these crimes, and we won’t pay attention to those who call for calm or to cease fire.
“Nothing is left for us now.”
