There were extremely worrying reports that the Kataeb (Phalangists) were in the camps killing people. One young boy had been brought to the hospital injured. He had been shot along with his whole family. He had spent the whole night lying under the bodies of his parents and sisters.

The patients in Gaza-hospital were concentrated on the lower floors: 7 critically injured in the Intensive Care unit on the 1st floor and 34 patients with less severe injuries on the 2nd floor. It was agreed that the newly arrived staff would take over that night, enabling exhausted colleagues to get some sleep.

During that night I looked after the patients on the 2nd floor. The night sky was regularly lit by flares, but it remained eerily quiet outside.

At about 6.45 a.m. the hospital came to life again. A colleague, Dr. Morris appeared and told me that the Lebanese army was outside the hospital. Shortly afterwards several women with their children came into the ward. One of the women, obviously in distress, came to me. There were tears in her eyes. She begged me for protection. Although I did not speak much Arabic I understood enough to know what she meant. I tried to tell her that everybody would be safe here. We then heard that all foreign staff had to gather outside.