Lack of fuel forces doctors to stop operating says Gaza hospital acting director

We spoke to Dr Mohammad Salha, acting director at Al-Awda hospital in northern Gaza which is running out of fuel, and I began by asking him about the situation there now.

Mohammad Salha: Yesterday I announced that Al-Awda Hospital, after 24 hours, will stop. And today we stopped for eight hours without working. And we have been bringing fuel from the ministry of health also, to run only the small generator to still provide our services.

Cathy Newman: Have you had to start turning people away because you can’t operate around the clock anymore?

Mohammad Salha: Yes, we have, as I told you, yesterday we had 18 operations, we did only eight of these. Another ten are postponed because there is no fuel. So every day we have from 15 to 20 operations. This is scheduled operations that will be stopped and they have actually stopped. So we have only 60 litres of fuel. We brought it because this 60 litres, if there is any emergency and emergency operation that is lifesaving, we have to try running the small generator to run the operation theatre.

Cathy Newman: We’ve seen children killed overnight. Can you explain to us the impact on the very most, the most vulnerable in Gaza of this continued war?

Mohammad Salha: Yeah, it’s really affected the children. We deal with many children. It’s really critical also for the psychology of the children that they are seeing this. I have five children, my children are always afraid. Now I am not with my children. They are in the south and I am in the north, they are without their father. So it’s really affected our children especially, who are in need to save their life. Yesterday they killed children, my relative’s one child is only one year old, and the mother and grandmother are killed and they are at their home. So many of the children are killed. Many women are killed in this aggression, and we hope it is stopped soon.

Cathy Newman: The politicians, the diplomats, are talking in Egypt tomorrow about peace and a peace deal. What would you say to them as a medic about the urgent need for peace?

Mohammad Salha: Please, please stop this genocide. Please stop this aggression. So, nothing can help only to stop this terrible situation and to stop this war and provide aid directly, especially the medication, medical supplies, vaccines for children. Also we need instruments and devices, the devices that the Israelis have not allowed to enter. We have maintained ten times, more than ten times, for the devices that we have. And really, it’s totally destroyed. But there are no devices for medication. We deal with a terrible situation in the hospital. So please stop this aggression and please allow entry for the aid for the hospitals and for our people.