– We were operating when the roof of the operating theater suddenly fell down. This is a massacre, says surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah. He works for Doctors Without Borders. So does doctor Morten Rostrup, who has just spoken to the surgeon. – It is absolutely terrible, he says. He says that they have had 320 employees in Gaza, and believes that this situation must end. – We have stopped medical activity, but some employees have traveled to other hospitals to work. – The whole humanitarian way of thinking is unsafe. Now health personnel must be allowed to do their job, he says. Morten Rostrup is a doctor and has carried out aid work all over the world. Photo: Kristin Granbo / news 500 were killed in the attack, claims Hamas, but this has not been confirmed by independent sources. It is unknown who is behind the attack on the hospital. Hamas blames Israel, while Israel’s military claims Palestinian Islamic Jihad is behind it. Islamic jihad, on the other hand, denies that they have anything to do with the attack. Should be safe – Thousands of people have applied to hospitals because it has functioned as a kind of safe zone. And then this happens. It is not the first time hospitals have been attacked in Gaza. It is an act of war, says Rostrup. He calls the attack shocking and horrific. – I myself worked at a hospital in Libya that was attacked with rockets. It is terrible to be in such a place and try to treat patients. Rostrup refers to the attack as a massacre of civilians. – And think of the mental consequences, how traumatic this is for the over two million who are locked up. He experiences the situation as desperate, because now they have no more supplies, medicines or medical equipment left. And: – Our staff are terrified. Some have lost family members. Many have lost their homes. – I don’t think I understand how terrible this is, says Rostrup. Dead and relatives after the air raid. Photo: Dawood NEMER / AFP Thousands hid in the hospital According to Al Jazeera, thousands of Palestinians had sought refuge in the hospital’s courtyard. Many of the victims are said to be women and children. The Ahli Arab hospital is the oldest in Gaza and was founded in 1982. More than 45,000 people have been treated at the hospital annually, according to the hospital’s own website. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says the situation seems to be going from bad to worse. – Now it is important that we try to talk together to find a solution, he says. Rostrup says the international community must put pressure on the parties and push for a ceasefire, as well as bring in supplies. – And if this does not happen, and there is a ground invasion instead? – I don’t dare think about the consequences. It’s too horrible, says the doctor.
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Operated when the hospital was attacked – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
