We drove along the coastal road and passed an Israeli checkpoint. We saw Israeli armed carriers. The streets in Fakhani were deserted, an eerie sight. There was no shooting however and we reached Gaza-hospital, at the northern edge of Sabra camp, without incidents.
As soon as we got out of the car there were burst of gunfire. We ran for cover and when the shooting stopped we made a run for the hospital entrance.
Inside Gaza-hospital it was chaos. The floor was dirty and hundreds of people had taken refuge in the hospital. Our colleagues, who had been working constantly in the past few days, were very relieved to see us. They told us about the chaos and the misery the day before. Hundreds of people had fled to the hospital because of Israeli artillery fire and sniping. Many people had been brought in with atrocious injuries, like traumatic amputations of limbs. Those who had been injured most critically had died soon and the hospital morgue was full.
The upper floors of the hospital (one of the tallest buildings in the area) had been deserted because of snipers. Earlier that afternoon Mohammed, a Pakistani nurse, who was on the 4th or 5th floor had been shot in the stomach and pancreas. A number of Palestinian patients had been evacuated that afternoon along with all the Palestinian medical staff. It was considered to be too dangerous for them to stay.
As soon as we got out of the car there were burst of gunfire. We ran for cover and when the shooting stopped we made a run for the hospital entrance.
Inside Gaza-hospital it was chaos. The floor was dirty and hundreds of people had taken refuge in the hospital. Our colleagues, who had been working constantly in the past few days, were very relieved to see us. They told us about the chaos and the misery the day before. Hundreds of people had fled to the hospital because of Israeli artillery fire and sniping. Many people had been brought in with atrocious injuries, like traumatic amputations of limbs. Those who had been injured most critically had died soon and the hospital morgue was full.
The upper floors of the hospital (one of the tallest buildings in the area) had been deserted because of snipers. Earlier that afternoon Mohammed, a Pakistani nurse, who was on the 4th or 5th floor had been shot in the stomach and pancreas. A number of Palestinian patients had been evacuated that afternoon along with all the Palestinian medical staff. It was considered to be too dangerous for them to stay.