Rafah: Amidst escalating tensions, a sense of fear grips the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah as medics and patients alike find themselves compelled to evacuate. Hindered by Israel’s military operations, the transfer of the sick and injured through the border crossing with Egypt has ground to a halt, leaving lives hanging in the balance, according to accounts from doctors and residents on Tuesday.
Situated in southern Gaza, an area designated as a combat zone by the Israeli army, the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital stands amidst the crossfire of conflict. Doctor Marwan al-Hams, speaking to Reuters, lamented Israel’s targeting of the hospital, forcing an exodus of people and patients. “Its threats to it resulted in people and patients leaving the hospital,” he stated, noting the departure of some medical personnel as well. Despite the turmoil, the dialysis department, vital for patients with kidney disease, continues to operate, albeit under a cloud of uncertainty.
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Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, sounded the alarm, warning that the closure of the hospital would spell immediate peril for approximately 200 dialysis patients, as it stands as the sole facility of its kind in Gaza. “If they are shut down, that means all those people will die simply from kidney failure because that’s what keeping them alive,” she emphasized. Already, other medical services in Rafah have faced disruptions, with certain services suspended, exacerbating an already dire situation.
Compounding the crisis, the Rafah crossing into Egypt, crucial for medical evacuations and the import of essential medicines, has been seized and shut down by Israel, according to medical aid groups. This blockade prevents the departure of patients in critical need of treatment. The Gaza health ministry reported that 140 patients had been scheduled to leave the besieged enclave on Tuesday for medical care, only to find their hopes dashed by the closure.
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Heart-wrenching stories emerge from the hospitals. Eight-year-old Lama Abu Holi, nursing injuries to two limbs at Al-Aqsa Hospital, expressed her dismay, “Today, my name was at the border, and I should travel to get my legs treated. Because the border crossing is shut today, I could not travel. I am upset.” Dr. Mohammad Abu Skhil, laboring in Gaza’s Kuwaiti Hospital, voiced concerns over the halt to patient transfers, foreseeing a surge in hospital admissions and further strain on the already burdened medical system.
