LONDON: A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has described treating severe explosive injuries and compared the Palestinian enclave to a “slaughterhouse” amid escalating Israeli attacks.
Overnight, at least 130 people were reported killed as Israeli forces launched extensive ground operations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, forcing the closure of some of its main medical facilities.
Dr. Tom Potokar said in a video that medical staff were treating severe explosive injuries in southern Gaza.
“It’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here (with the) constant sound of bombardment, jets overhead,” he added.
Following the Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed nearly 1,200 people, Israeli forces launched an air, ground and sea campaign on Gaza, killing over 52,000 Palestinians and displacing and injuring hundreds of thousands.
Potokar said he treated a young woman who “is not yet aware that everyone in (her) family was killed in the onslaught.”
He added: “Another day of devastation here in Gaza … The stories coming from the north … absolutely horrific … particularly around the Indonesian Hospital.”
The hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in Beit Lahia, has ceased operations due to Israeli bombing.
In the south, the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Yunis announced that it was out of service last week, while the Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah said it can no longer operate its surgical department amid the Israeli attacks.
Since March, Israel has enforced a blockade on aid, prompting a warning from UN food experts about the imminent risk of mass starvation in Gaza.
