In late 2024, a medical team, including the author, volunteered at Al-Aqsa Hospital during a surge of violence in Gaza. Many local doctors were displaced yet tirelessly worked in the emergency department. They faced daily mass-casualty incidents, responding to bombings that resulted in tragic civilian deaths. A striking moment involved the treatment of a seven-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister, Sabah, who suffered severe injuries and the loss of their parents in an airstrike. The medical challenges highlighted the dire situation and the critical need for emergency-care expertise amid chaos.
I ran after Sabah into the critical-care room. Wrapped in a shiny thermal blanket, she might have looked serene if not for the tubes in her nose and mouth.
Medical personnel had also inserted a nasogastric tube, which normally follows intubation, to prevent vomiting. This concerned me. She probably has facial fractures.
On December 8th, an air strike on a tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least five people, including two parents and two children.
Almost every day, we responded to a mass-casualty incident-an event that overwhelms the resources of the hospital.
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