Gaza in ‘chaos’ without healthcare, food, water, electricity, says doctor returning from area

By Zuhal Demirci

LONDON (AA) - An anesthesia specialist, Dr. Birsen Gaskell, reported the humanitarian disaster and chaos she witnessed in Gaza, where many children with complicated injuries had no access to treatment.

Gaskell, who returned to the UK after two weeks with the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Rafah, Gaza, shared her observations with Anadolu.

On Feb. 4-21, she collaborated with the MSF team to provide healthcare in Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians sought refuge in the southern Gaza Strip.

Gaskell, deeply affected by Israeli attacks on Gaza, said she decided to help alleviate the wounds of civilians and children, having closely followed the situation since its beginning.

“I was quite outraged and ... heartbroken. So, I wanted to really go out there and help and in a literal sense, just as an anesthetist to help with the pain of the victims, especially children,’’ she said.

On entering Gaza, she witnessed chaos and destruction, hearing constant bombardment and children fleeing the area, the doctor added.

- ‘I still worry about them every day’

Dr. Gaskell noted that every person she encountered in Gaza, whether patient or healthcare worker, had a story marked by fear, survival, and loss, but she particularly emphasized the unforgettable moments shared with child patients.

“And I felt, leaving them behind ... really guilty and ... I had the option to leave, but unfortunately they couldn't leave,’’ she said.

Gaskell expressed her wish for the horrors endured by most of her patients to end.

“So, the guilt that I could leave and they couldn't was immense and I still worry about them every day. So, I think about them every day. It's not an easy thing to go through as a human being and as a doctor,’’ she added.

Gaskell stressed that many children and civilians in Gaza have complicated injuries requiring specialist treatment, but none could benefit from comprehensive healthcare services.

“These injuries are complicated. They would need long-term sort of treatment in terms of physiotherapy, reconstructive surgeries. A lot of amputees would need artificial limbs, and unfortunately, there is no possibility of this kind of care in Gaza.’’

- ‘Normal way of life has completely collapsed in Gaza’

Gaskell highlighted that Gaza, severely affected by Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, has become uninhabitable, and basic services have collapsed.

“So, life in Gaza is uninhabitable. It's really a life hell on earth. The life order, as you know, is completely collapsed in Gaza,’’ she noted.

Gaskell described the chaotic situation with no access to healthcare, food, clean water, electricity, or schools, leading to “chaos and disorder,’’ with constant “bombings.’’

“It's quite overwhelming, and trying to give some sort of healthcare in this chaos was challenging. We had huge numbers of patients. We had limited equipment, limited medication.

“It was also difficult to discharge these patients because they had nowhere to go and a lot of patients still needed some complicated care at home but they had no home to go. We just literally discharged them out on the street,’’ she noted.

- ‘We did our best but what we did was just a drop in ocean’

Gaskell, a doctor with experience in many war and conflict zones, emphasized that Gaza is one of the most challenging work environments.

“It was probably one of my toughest missions. Sure, yeah, I have (served) in Yemen, Iraq, South Sudan, Nigeria. I have seen war injuries before but I think what was different in this context was the sheer number of them. It's just seeing them in large numbers, large numbers of children with burns, trauma, large numbers of amputees. It was quite staggering to see them in these kind of numbers.’’

Gaskell also stressed that she will never forget the catastrophe she witnessed in Gaza.

“It's emotionally tough to deal with this because we did our best, but what we did was really a drop in the ocean. It wasn't ... enough to address the needs of the whole population.’’

She described what happened in Gaza as a "humanitarian disaster.’’

“What's been happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe, is unacceptable. There is no justification for this kind of horror and suffering and hurt. And we must do everything to stop it immediately and do everything we can do to remedy the destruction and the hurt of people.’’

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul