DEIR BALAH: Palestinian paediatrician Khaled al-Saidani moves through his Gaza hospital with determination, using a prosthetic leg and an aluminum walker as he cares for children also injured in the war.

With a stethoscope draped over his shoulders, he carefully examines his patients at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, offering warm smiles and handshakes to the children as he moves from one to the next.

He knows all too well the devastating impact of wounds sustained during war, having lost his right leg after an Israeli air strike on his house last year. “I was injured by shrapnel, and because I am diabetic, things got worse for me, and we had to amputate my leg,” Saidani said at the hospital in central Gaza.

The prosthetic “is tiring and has several downsides, but I’m able to move and walk”, he said as he examined a patient. A child with bandaged fingers and an IV tube watched as Saidani conducted an examination.

36 hospitals in the besieged territory have been rendered inoperative by Israeli attack

Al Aqsa Hospital, particularly its general ward, is crowded with patients and their relatives, many receiving treatment for injuries from Israeli bombardment. The medical facility is located in Deir el-Balah, where Israeli forces have frequently clashed with fighters.

Vast areas around Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital have seen heavy fighting since the conflict began. In recent months, this has intensified as the military expanded its offensive, which was initially focused on the northern parts of the Palestinian territory.

Health workers killed

The conflict in Gaza has taken a devastating toll on healthcare workers as well as medical facilities since it broke out on Oct 7, 2023. A recent report by UN experts, quoting figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, said at least 1,057 Palestinian health and medical professionals have been killed in Gaza since the war began.

And on Wednesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lamented the “continuing attacks on health facilities across the Gaza Strip”, which it said meant people were unable to access the treatment they need.

Most of the 36 hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip have been rendered inoperative.

The territory’s largest, Al Shifa Hospital, sustained heavy damage in an Israeli military raid, and now only has its emergency ward open. Meanwhile, doctors like Saidani continue to provide what treatment they can to the relentless stream of patients flooding into barely functioning facilities like Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

“Despite the prosthetic limb that makes me tired, I’m happy and comfortable doing my job, which is why I decided to return to work,” Saidani said. Relatives of patients are also happy that he is back around.

“My daughter suffers from kidney disease,” said a woman whose child, Mira Hamid, is being treated at the hospital. “Despite the amputation of his leg, Doctor Khaled al-Saidani follows up with his patients and provides his services. May God bless his hard work.”

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025