Doctors won't abandon patients at al-Shifa as Israel destroys Gaza City

"Israeli tanks continue to advance amid a systematic destruction of Gaza City from land, air and sea, but for doctors at the major urban centre's al-Shifa Hospital, leaving patients is not an option. The hospital was once the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, but most of it now lies in ruins after several rounds of intense Israeli ground and air sieges since the start of the war in October 2023."

"A volunteer Australian doctor currently working at the embattled Gaza City hospital said the medical staff are operating in horrible conditions. The amount of resilience I saw in these doctors, they're literally heroes, she told Al Jazeera, adding that doctors, nurses and medical students are living and working at the hospital. We've been here only for two weeks, and we just cannot understand the amount of trauma and hard work. I don't think any human being can stay alive and tolerate what we're going through."

"The director of the hospital, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, is trying to lead by example despite the horrifying conditions. He spent more than seven months in Israeli prison after being arrested based on unproven claims that Hamas was using al-Shifa as a base for terrorism. He recounted torture and humiliation in Israeli military detention after being released without any formal charges levelled against him. On Saturday, an Israeli air attack on his family home killed at least five people."

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been largely reduced to ruins after repeated Israeli ground and air sieges since October 2023. Remaining parts of the complex function as improvised emergency and intensive care wards treating overwhelming numbers of Palestinians wounded by Israeli attacks. Many displaced people sheltering near the hospital face famine and ongoing bombardment. Medical staff, including doctors, nurses and students, live and work at the hospital under horrific conditions and extreme trauma. The hospital director, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, endured more than seven months in Israeli detention, alleging torture, and recently lost family members in an Israeli air strike.

Read at www.aljazeera.com