Doctor Mohammed Obeid and his family have taken shelter at the hospital in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, which has been besieged by Israeli forces since October 6.
He both sleeps and works at the hospital, which is filled with patients and displaced Palestinians.
We do not have the means to treat the wounded. We lack medical personnel and surgical equipment, he says in a recorded voice message to the organization Doctors Without Borders, which supported the al-Awda hospital where Obeid previously worked.
al-Awda, which is also located in northern Gaza, has been the target of several deadly attacks during the war.
Hospital Under Fire
Ambulances cannot drive around in the besieged and heavily bombarded area, says Obeid in the voice message. He testifies to constant artillery fire, bombs, and snipers.
Drones have taken over the streets. They prevent people from moving from one place to another in search of safety, he says.
The Kamal Adwan hospital is also reported to have been under fire in recent days. The medical staff are tired. Many of them – and their family members – are also injured, says Mohammed Obeid.
I do not know what to say.
Polio Vaccinations Paused
In light of the fighting, the World Health Organization (WHO) simultaneously announces that it is forced to suspend vaccinations in the area.
Due to intense bombardment, the latest round of polio vaccinations, which was to begin in northern Gaza today, has been postponed, according to AFP.
The circumstances on the ground "make it impossible for families to safely take their children to be vaccinated and for medical staff to do their job", according to a statement from WHO.
