Khan Younis:

The ambulance left its usual home base at Khan Younis Nasser Hospital six days ago, carrying as many bandages, syringes and other basic supplies as the crew could find, and has been serving as Mobile clinics operate because there is no turning back.

The hospital, the largest still operating in southern Gaza, is located in an area of ​​the city where heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants has made it impossible for patients and even ambulances to pass.

“We now act as the ambulance field point in central Khan Younis,” said paramedic Nassim Hassan, head of the emergency department at Nasser Hospital.

This meant treating patients who arrived on their own, or rushing to collect the wounded, including very close to the front lines, and transporting them to tents with basic medical facilities.

“We have been working since we left six days ago. Many of the displaced people in the industrial area and some schools were injured. Many of the injured left in trolleys, tuk-tuks, cars and even on foot. “

In the first weeks of the war between Israel and Hamas, Khan Younis saw an influx of displaced people after the Israeli army asked civilians to evacuate northern Gaza for their own safety.

The fighting has since spread southward and into the city center, causing a new wave of displaced people to flow to Rafah, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and making the situation for people inside Khan Younis even more difficult and dangerous.

Without immediate access to new supplies from the hospital’s pantry, Hassan worries about running out of essential supplies.

“This is one of the things we’re missing,” he said, holding up a tourniquet as he sorted through supplies stored inside the ambulance. “Maybe we have one or two left.”

In a medical tent where Hassan’s ambulance stores patients, paramedic Ibrahim Abu Qas is doing his best to treat a wide range of injuries with only basic equipment.

“This medical point was established following the siege of hospitals, including Al-Nasser and Amal hospitals, and the difficulty in accessing these hospitals amid the current events,” Abu Qas said.

“We deal with cases in very critical situations,” he said, adding that some cases were difficult to handle even in regular hospitals.

Hassan and his fellow ambulance crews acted as mobile clinics, carrying patients into tents and carrying bodies out.

According to Israel, on October 7, Hamas militants from Gaza invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240. Israel responded with a full-scale military offensive against the densely populated strip.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli bombings and ground incursions have killed at least 26,900 Palestinians and injured more than 65,900. Much of the strip’s population has been displaced, and hunger and disease are rife.

Most hospitals have completely ceased functioning or are operating under miserable conditions, with insufficient medicine and equipment, severely injured people continue to arrive, and large numbers of displaced people are taking refuge in hospitals.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)