Palestinians in northern Gaza inspect extent of damage inflicted by Israeli troops

Following the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the site has turned into a refugee shelter, MEMO’s Motasem Dalloul reports, as a makeshift cemetery has been set up in one of the hospital’s yards.

Palestinian paramedics say only a small number of operating rooms can be used and that too, only for simple surgeries at the hospital, amidst an acute and growing need for functioning medical facilities, equipment and supplies in northern Gaza. The large number of displaced people sheltering at the hospital, after having lost their homes to Israeli attacks, adds another layer of difficulty to returning the hospital to its original function as a medical facility.

The paramedics, who have asked to remain anonymous in fear for their safety, have appealed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and all bodies with the power to apply pressure on Israel to assist in revitalising the hospital and restoring its function and capacity to address the urgent and mounting medical needs of the war-torn population of Gaza City.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 350,000 Gaza residents suffer from chronic diseases and are at serious risk of death due to the lack of medical supplies and functioning medical centres.

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