Health Situation in Gaza and Needs of the Wounded
Al-Hajj, who is in Turkey for his two grandchildren who were injured in the attacks in Gaza, said in his statements, “There are more than 94 thousand wounded in Gaza. After the attacks, an average of 3 to 4 surgical interventions are “needed for the treatment process of the wounded.” Hajj said, “A total of 500 thousand surgeries will be needed for those wounded in Gaza after the war,” and emphasized that in order to provide health services, the support of field hospitals, which play a critical role in the field of health, is essential, along with fully equipped surgical equipment and expert staff.
“As soon as a ceasefire is achieved, there is a need for rapid work to repair hospitals and bring in medical equipment, medicine and medical supplies,” Hajj said, adding that once the energy crisis is resolved, it is essential to establish effective field hospitals in Gaza, equipped with radiology equipment, MRI machines, imaging systems, laboratory scans and modern electricity generators, as well as fully equipped operating rooms.
The Palestinian official also assessed the health situation in Gaza, saying, “The health system in Gaza has reached a catastrophic point, we are facing very serious difficulties.” Hajj said, “Israel is ignoring all human values and international laws by bombing hospitals, schools and kindergartens.” Hajj said that he did not think Shifa Hospital could be a target for Israel, and added, “Unfortunately, the Israeli army occupied the hospital, burned and destroyed a large part of it, and removed the medical staff from the hospital, killing the patients and the wounded.”
Hajj described the situation even more dramatically by saying, “Israeli tanks and bulldozers trampled the bodies of the martyrs buried in the Shifa Hospital courtyard and killed the wounded while they were still alive.” He stated that the health system in Gaza suffered great damage, currently losing more than 70 percent of its clinical capacity, as most of the hospitals were bombed and out of service.
Hajj, who stated that there are currently 14 hospitals operating in Gaza, only 4 of which are large hospitals and the rest are small civil society centers, said, “After the Israeli army deliberately targeted the hospitals, the Ministry of Health in Gaza has started to activate every building that can provide health services.” The Palestinian doctor emphasized that the health personnel are trying to revive some of the rooms of the hospitals abandoned by the Israeli army by renovating them to provide health services to the wounded and sick; that more than half of the medicines and 60 percent of the laboratory materials required for treatment are currently not available in Gaza.
Noting that more than 880 health personnel have lost their lives since the start of the Israeli attacks, Hajj said, “The role of each health personnel is extremely important,” adding that this loss has negatively affected the quality of health services. “Losing elite health personnel is an irreparable tragedy; this has definitely negatively affected the level of service delivery. Their loss will affect future health services even if a ceasefire is achieved,” Hajj said.
