On 27 and 28 July MSF-supported clinics treated hundreds of people injured at food distribution sites and from ongoing attacks in Gaza.
On 27 July alone, medical teams at the MSF-supported Sheikh Radwan clinic in north Gaza treated over 150 patients from five different mass casualty incidents. 54 people suffered gunshot wounds, crush injuries and stabbings while scrambling for aid.
Dangerous “aid points” that distribute tiny quantities of supplies are causing death and injury and are draining exhausted medical teams. Al Zawaida field hospital in Deir Al Balah is over capacity, with no space for new patients. Within three weeks, the field hospital increased its bed capacity from 70 to 115 beds, but this still doesn’t come close to meeting the massive medical needs.
The Ministry of Health and nearby hospitals are also overwhelmed. Most trauma cases require major surgeries for limb and abdominal injuries, yet we have no stock of external fixators to heal broken bones and we are running out of other supplies, including blood and critical antibiotics.
The ongoing blockade and the dangerous and disorganised practices of providing the bare minimum of food to a starving population are fuelling desperation and internal violence, while placing an unbearable burden on Gaza’s collapsing health system.