Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine – In the dimly lit corridors of Amal Hospital in western Khan Younis, one of 17 partially operational hospitals Gaza’s medical facilitiesa rare sense of hope enveloped staff and patients.

mediator announces ceasefire A deal has been reached between Hamas and Israel to end the 15-month war in Gaza, and although the Israeli cabinet has not ratified the deal, optimism is contagious.

For the first time in months, consultant orthopedic surgeon Dr Khaled Ayyad has confidently assured patients they will soon receive the medicines and surgeries they desperately need, but the situation has been hampered by Israeli restrictions on the delivery of aid to Gaza. , the hospital cannot provide it.

“We have accomplished the impossible. We had to find ways to deal with cases of this severity, this volume, and longest duration to get to this point,” Ayyad explained.

One month after the war began on October 7, 2023, he was forced by the Israeli army to leave his post at the Al-Quds Hospital run by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza City, along with other medical staff and patients. The 53-year-old veteran surgeon has since operated out of Amal, relying on what he described as “minimal capabilities”.

According to a January 7 report from the medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF by its French abbreviation), “every medical center or humanitarian delivery system has been or is being destroyed” in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Iyad had to endure two Israeli attacks on Amal hospital in February and March and had to be displaced with his family, including his six children, in the drought-stricken area of ​​Mawasi in southwestern Gaza. . He said he was lucky to survive: more than 1,000 health care workers were killed, many of them detained by Israeli forces.

“With the exception of no less than eight hospitalized cases in various departments, the number of cases I examine every day is as high as 70 patients and injured,” Aiyad told Al Jazeera. As he spoke, countless patients and visitors crowded the hospital. Wards, outside clinics and corridors are crowded with people seeking treatment.

patience

Ayyad explained that he often resorts to temporary measures to treat fractures until the plate required for surgery is available. “Soon they will,” he said with a smile, reassuring Hani al-Shaqra. Hani Shakra suffered a broken collarbone in an Israeli attack on Monday near his home in Deir al-Balah, where he had taken refuge.

Unable to reciprocate Iyad’s enthusiasm because of the pain, Shakla said he couldn’t wait for the ceasefire to take effect so he could have the surgery he needed.

“The care I received was to be expected during this genocide, especially since everyone faces huge difficulties in accessing treatment or even reaching a hospital. I am optimistic… that treatment will be possible after the ceasefire,” he Cautiously, be careful not to move his arms or the sling that helps take the load off his shoulders.

“I just hope this happens as soon as possible before my condition worsens,” he added.

Negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire and ending a war that has taken a toll on lives More than 46,700 Palestinians have Frequently wavered It took a year until mediators announced a deal on Wednesday.

Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president on Monday is the de facto deadline for a ceasefire to come into effect the day before. With it, more urgently needed humanitarian aid will be allowed into the enclave following a severe shortage of aid, exacerbated by the closure of the Rafah crossing to Egypt in May, with most supplies All are entered through this crossing point.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done”

While Iyad hopes the influx of humanitarian supplies will give Palestinians in Gaza some respite, he knows he and other medical staff still have a lot of work to do.

“Many of the casualties we sent away who received temporary treatment will need to be re-operated once supplies are available,” he said.

Dr. Adnan Zatma, a general surgeon who works with Aiyad, emphasized the magnitude of the challenge.

Setting aside the obvious shortages of medicines and supplies, he listed the devastation throughout the hospital: from X-ray machines and generators destroyed during the Israeli invasion, to burnt-out wards, bullet-riddled walls and bulldozers. entrances and roads. Leading to the hospital.

“The ceasefire will be a respite, but it won’t be magical,” Zatma said.

Dr. Haidar al-Qudra, executive director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza, said the health care sector was operating at less than 10% of its pre-war capacity. Médecins Sans Frontières says the state of the pre-war health care system is already below what it needs to be due to Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza. It’s now a mess.

“Tens of thousands of patients are suffering as a result of the collapse of health care,” Kudela said.

“This includes death, disability and serious complications among those who did not have access to adequate care during the war,” he added, stressing that facilities such as Amal and Wafa hospitals were unavailable for much of the war. .

“For many patients, rehabilitation is the only way they can regain mobility or basic functions. The loss of these services is devastating,” he said.

Major hospitals such as Al-Quds and Shifa were severely damaged, and facilities such as Amal Hospital suffered severe infrastructure damage.

Despite these challenges, Red Crescent hospitals treated more than 500,000 cases during the conflict and received an additional 900,000 patients in their primary health care centres. Amal Hospital alone, along with two field hospitals and 10 primary health care centers in northern Gaza, handle 1,500 cases a day.

“Gradual recovery”

“The ceasefire will allow the health care system to gradually recover with the support of international assistance,” Kudela said. Once supplies arrive, “the Red Crescent plans to establish five field hospitals and 30 primary health care centers across Gaza, including Establishing a major center in each of the five provinces”.

He said coordination with international organizations such as the Red Cross and the World Health Organization aimed to facilitate the entry of medical supplies from the occupied West Bank, where Red Crescent warehouses store vital stocks.

“These supplies, coupled with the arrival of Arab and international medical teams, will inject vitality into Gaza’s health care system,” Kudla added. “Even the gradual reopening of hospitals and improved mobility across Gaza will allow a degree of normalcy to return. The ability to work without fear of being targeted will also improve conditions for medical teams.”

“The ceasefire offers everyone a glimmer of hope. Like everyone, health care workers are exhausted. The health care system, battered by the relentless war, needs a chance to recover, and it is prepared for a long road to recovery, ” he concluded.

This article is published in partnership with For example.