Unimaginable Suffering: A Hull Surgeon's Mission to Aid Gaza's War-Torn Civilians

Sharing is caring

Jakarta, Kowantaranews.com -Dr. Junaid Sultan, a vascular surgeon based in Hull, recently recounted his heart-wrenching experience while volunteering at the European Hospital in Rafah, Gaza. Having spent just under three weeks in April treating hundreds of civilian patients, Dr. Sultan plans to return before Christmas to continue his work amidst unimaginable suffering and devastation.

During his time in Gaza, Dr. Sultan was confronted with the harsh realities of a war zone, treating women and children with severe injuries such as bullet wounds, burns, and other trauma. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which erupted on 7 October following a deadly attack by Hamas gunmen, has led to significant casualties on both sides. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, the subsequent Israeli military offensive has resulted in over 37,765 deaths.

Dr. Sultan described his experiences in Gaza as a scene from Armageddon, where the suffering was palpable. “What I saw was just hunger, starvation, famine, suffering,” he said. “Gaza has been made like a living hell for Gazans, and essentially they are living worse than animals.” He struggled to process the extent of human suffering and the dire conditions the people of Gaza were enduring.

Accompanied by 14 other surgeons from the UK and the United States, Dr. Sultan’s team worked under the aegis of FAJR Scientific, a US non-profit organization, in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Their mission was to provide medical treatment and deliver essential supplies to the besieged region. Despite the looming threat of famine as warned by UN and aid agencies, Dr. Sultan witnessed firsthand the severe shortages of food, medical supplies, and basic amenities like clean water and electricity.

Dr. Sultan was driven to volunteer in Gaza after hearing a poignant appeal from a colleague in Scarborough. His colleague’s father, a civilian from Gaza, was shot in the head and died due to a lack of urgent medical treatment. This personal connection and the desire to help those in desperate need motivated Dr. Sultan to face the challenges of working in a war zone.

Upon arriving in Gaza, the reality of the situation hit him hard. “The realisation that I’m actually in a war zone – it actually hit me when I was there,” he said. “There was a curfew after five o’clock. There was no electricity, there was no water supply through the taps, and after five o’clock you are in pitch black. Drones are 24/7 over your head.” Constant surveillance, bombings, and the relentless sound of gunshots were a daily reality.

One of the most distressing cases Dr. Sultan encountered involved a 12-year-old boy who arrived at the hospital with severe injuries, alongside the lifeless body of his mother. The boy’s legs were mangled beyond repair, and he was in excruciating pain with no painkillers available. The emotional toll of informing the boy about his mother’s death and the need for multiple amputations was overwhelming. “He said to me, ‘I wish you would have killed me. Why did you save me?'” Dr. Sultan recalled. The child’s anguish left a lasting impression on the surgeon, who spent over an hour comforting him despite feeling utterly broken inside.

Dr. Sultan’s daily routine involved treating about 50 severely injured civilians in the hospital’s A&E unit. The hospital, which had been converted into a makeshift refugee camp housing around 30,000 people, was struggling to maintain cleanliness and adhere to medical protocols. The European Hospital was one of the last fully functional hospitals in Gaza, with a capacity of only 250 beds, yet it was forced to accommodate up to 3,000 patients daily.

The shortage of medical supplies was exacerbated by the overwhelming number of patients. Dr. Sultan noted that more than 500 healthcare workers had been killed in the past nine months, leaving the remaining medics overworked and fatigued. “Patients are emaciated. The doctors have been reduced to bones,” he said. The dire sanitation conditions, with sewage leaks attracting insects and diseases, further complicated the situation.

Dr. Sultan emphasized the urgent need for new hospitals, medical supplies, food, and clean water. He hopes to raise awareness about the grim realities on the ground in Gaza. Despite the psychological toll of his experiences, he remains committed to returning and providing assistance. “There are things which I’ve seen, and I don’t think I will ever be able to unsee them – the bodies of the children which I was carrying every day,” he said. Nonetheless, his time in Gaza has been life-changing, instilling in him a profound sense of gratitude and a determination to help those in need.

In the coming months, Dr. Sultan plans to return to Gaza, driven by the hope of making a difference in the lives of the local community. His story is a powerful reminder of the human capacity for compassion and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.*Mukroni

Source bbc.com

Photo Kowantaranews