Doctors in Gaza Hospital “Must Prioritize” Patients Most Likely to Survive, Says Reuters

By Arafat Barbakh

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza – Medical staff and resources are critically lacking at Gaza’s European Hospital, forcing medical teams to make heartbreaking choices about which patients to treat, according to doctors. As a result, many individuals with severe, life-threatening injuries are being left without care.

Originally designed to accommodate 240 patients, the European Hospital in Khan Younis is currently overwhelmed with around 1,000 patients, while many displaced individuals also seek refuge in its hallways.

"Many days we have to prioritize between patients," said plastic surgeon Ahmed El Mokhallalati, explaining that the focus has shifted to those with a better chance of survival, often overlooking those in dire need of extensive treatment. "We’ve lost many patients because we couldn’t offer the necessary care. At one point, we stopped admitting patients with severe burns because our ICU couldn’t handle it."

Mokhallalati recounted performing amputations on patients who had already lost their families, sharing how he often breaks down in tears due to the ongoing inability to provide adequate care.

Since Israel’s military response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 fatalities and 253 hostages, over 27,000 individuals have died, and 66,000 have been injured in Gaza. The majority of the enclave’s hospitals have either been closed, attacked, or are struggling to maintain operations as Israeli forces advance. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as shields for military operations.

Facial surgeon Thaer Daifallah lamented the shortages of essential supplies, stating, "Healthcare is in complete collapse, and it will take years to return to normal."

Nearby facilities, such as Al-Amal Hospital, have also been targeted multiple times in recent weeks and face challenges remaining operational. Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, expressed concern about Al-Amal’s future: "I don’t even want to consider the possibility of its closure in the coming days, but if the situation doesn’t change, continuing operations will become very difficult."

(Writing and additional reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Gareth Jones)