UK-Med is a UK-based medical charity, headquartered in Manchester, that has been working in Gaza since January 2024. It really works throughout three places in Gaza: the al-Mawasi discipline hospital, a smaller clinic in al-Zawaida and the emergency division at Nasser hospital. The charity employs almost 600 Palestinian employees, who’re supported by a small cadre of worldwide medics, a few of whom are from the NHS. Since January, about 30 NHS employees have rotated by way of Gaza, totally on brief four- to six-week deployments, drawing on quite a lot of medical specialists together with surgeons, emergency medical doctors, GPs, nurses and midwives.
Razan was injured by a 7.92mm bullet at 3am on 1 September. The incident occurred in al-Mawasi. The bullet handed by way of the tent, by way of her mom’s hip, and into Razan, lodging itself near her spinal wire. Razan was taken to the UK-Med discipline hospital instantly, the place she was referred to Nasser hospital for a CT scan, then returned to the sphere hospital for surgical procedure. Her mom, who was solely evenly wounded because the bullet had handed proper by way of her hip, was taken to the ICRC discipline hospital for remedy. The UK-Med surgical staff eliminated the bullet from Razan’s neck. The wound has healed fully, and Razan will not be affected by any problems. I interviewed Razan’s father, Diyar, and took the accompanying photograph, on 19 November on the discipline hospital in al-Mawasi.
Diyar stated: “Razan is a lot better now, however she is psychologically broken. She panics when she hears loud noises. She begins to scream and cry. This warfare is horrible for youngsters. Razan is just too younger to should endure any of this. We’ve 4 different youngsters, and so they have all witnessed such horrible issues in Gaza – issues that I can’t even discover the phrases to elucidate.
“Razan is completely different now in comparison with earlier than her damage. She’s not the identical. She talks much less. She’s afraid to even go outdoors. She says one thing dangerous will occur if she leaves the tent.”
Mohammad, 32, is a paediatric nurse on the UK-Med discipline hospital. The daddy of 4 left Rafah on 10 Might together with his spouse, Eslam, 29, who was pregnant with Adil on the time. Eslam can also be a nurse, however will not be at present working. After leaving Rafah they got here to al-Mawasi the place they pitched their tent. One week after arriving in al-Mawasi, Mohammad took a job on the UK-Med discipline hospital as a paediatric nurse. Their youngsters are Juan, six, Sajid, 4, Ahmad, two, and Adil (pictured), who was 40 days outdated on the time this photograph was taken on 13 November. Eslam is on the far left of the body, her hand cradling the again of Adil’s head. She gave start on the UK-Med discipline hospital maternity unit, having needed to stroll to the hospital to present start due to lack of transport. I interviewed and photographed Eslam and Mohammad on the discipline hospital on 13 November.
Mohammad stated: “Our entire household is nicely educated. We by no means lose hope. We Palestinians by no means see life as bleak or darkish. We all the time search for the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel. So long as I’m alive, I’ll all the time look to the long run – we are going to rebuild Gaza. I’ll do my finest to supply a contented life for my youngsters. I’ll be certain they’re all well-educated in order that we are able to all assist rebuild Gaza and produce it again to life after the warfare.”
The “Hospitrailer”, technically known as a complete emergency obstetric and new child care (CeMONC) unit is a 40ft delivery container that has been designed particularly to supply cell surgical and obstetric/neonatal care. The unit is fitted with an operation room, a restoration room and a storage/sterilisation room. The surgical staff use it as a second working theatre on the discipline hospital in al-Mawasi, along with the bigger tented working theatre. The toddler was considered one of two youngsters present process corrective surgical procedure for a cleft lip that day (18 November).
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday 19 September, an airstrike hit al-Mawasi, within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone. At the least 19 individuals had been killed, together with each of Adam’s mother and father. Adam was additionally injured, dropping his proper leg within the blast. He was instantly taken to the UK-Med discipline hospital, the place the surgical staff operated on him. Adam is now cared for by his aunt and returns recurrently to the sphere hospital for physiotherapy periods with the rehabilitation staff. They’re instructing him regain his mobility with the assistance of a walker. I interviewed Adam’s aunt and took the accompanying {photograph} on 13 November throughout a physiotherapy session on the discipline hospital.
Nevee, 28, stayed along with her son, Ahmad, on the paediatric ward on the discipline hospital. The household was first displaced from Gaza Metropolis to Rafah, then once more in June to the Khan Younis area, the place they pitched their tent near the seaside as there was no area for them to arrange their dwelling elsewhere. On 26 November, Neveen acquired a name from her husband, Ahmad’s father, Ghanim, 35, to say that their tent within the Khan Younis coastal space – which was manufactured from wooden, tarpaulin, and bedsheets – had been destroyed by the rain and waves, after an evening of heavy rain and stormy seas. Their garments, bedsheets, mattresses, rugs, and kitchen provides had been soaked by the rain and waves. The day this {photograph} was taken, 27 November, Neveen was about to return to the stays of the tent to salvage no matter belongings she may. She managed to avoid wasting a couple of garments for Ahmad.
Neveen stated: “I don’t know what the long run holds. I don’t know the place to go. We nonetheless haven’t discovered one other place to remain, and winter is right here. December is the worst month for the chilly and rain. I can’t discover anyplace to remain. There isn’t any area anyplace to place up a tent. If Ahmad is in a tent on this situation, it will likely be terrible for him over winter due to the chilly and the chance of an infection. I’m so afraid for my youngsters.”
Jehad was injured in the identical blast as Adam on 19 September. He misplaced each of his legs and three fingers on his left hand. His father, Mahmoud, 33, was additionally injured, struggling extreme burns to his palms, a severe damage to his proper arm and a shrapnel wound to his left leg that turned contaminated, resulting in the leg being amputated by the surgical staff. Jehad’s mom, Mahmoud’s spouse, additionally sustained minor accidents. Mahmoud and Jehad had been each positioned on the medical evacuation record from Gaza. Mahmoud has been supplied remedy within the US, however Mahmoud has not. The only real caretaker allowed to accompany Jehad is his aunt (his mom’s sister), moderately than his mom. I spoke to Mahmoud and took the accompanying {photograph} on 28 November on the UK-Med discipline hospital, at which era Mahmoud was nonetheless an inpatient on the high-dependency unit. Jehad and his mom had been visiting Mahmoud that day.
The Gaza ministry of well being conducts common vaccine clinics for youngsters and infants on the UK-Med discipline hospital in al-Mawasi, administering a lot of vaccines, together with tetanus pictures. Earlier than the start of the present battle in Gaza, youngsters had a really excessive immunisation protection of over 99%. I took this photograph throughout one of many vaccine clinic days on the hospital on 30 November.
Ahmad, 9, was on the market together with his sister, Hala, 12, in Khan Younis on 10 November when he was hit by a bus from behind. It pulled all of the pores and skin off his proper leg from the knee to the highest of his foot and broke his left foot. He was instantly taken to the sphere hospital, the place the surgeons cleaned the wound and saved no matter pores and skin they might. On the time this {photograph} was taken, on 18 November, Ahmad was an inpatient on the paediatric ward, the place surgeons had been conducting a number of pores and skin grafts to cowl the wound on his proper leg, harvesting the pores and skin from his thigh to put over his wound.
Eslam, 21, has two youngsters: Khalid, two, and one-month-old Sham. Eslam was six months pregnant with Sham when, on the night time of 31 July, an airstrike hit the ground-floor residence that she, Khalid and her husband, Shadi, had been staying in in Khan Younis. The strike killed Shadi immediately, throwing him from the residence. Eslam sustained an explosive damage to her left tibia, an open fracture to her left calcaneus bone, a small grade-II burn to her left arm and minor shrapnel wounds to her again. Khalid sustained some minor cuts to his face. Eslam was dug out from the rubble by her neighbours and rushed to Nasser hospital by her household, the place she acquired an X-ray and surgeons eliminated among the shrapnel from her physique. She was then transferred to the UK-Med discipline hospital in al-Mawasi on the identical day, 31 July. The next morning, she was operated on by the UK-Med surgical staff, who utilized sutures and debrided the injuries. She remained an inpatient and started physiotherapy with the UK-Med rehabilitation staff, finally regaining the flexibility to stroll after her leg and heel wounds healed. She was discharged and gave start to Sham on the ICRC discipline hospital on 30 October. Eslam named her daughter Sham as that was the identify her husband, Shadi, had needed to call their youngster if that they had a daughter. Eslam was then referred again to the UK-Med discipline hospital for weekly outpatient physiotherapy, enterprise her first post-birth physiotherapy session on 21 November. I interviewed and photographed Eslam throughout her second physiotherapy session on the discipline hospital on 28 November.
She stated: “After I gave start, I visited my husband’s grave. I informed him to not fear, that we had plenty of good recollections, that I beloved him, and that I’d take excellent care of our youngsters and lift them on my own and that he gained’t be upset.
“Khalid says his dad is in heaven. He takes my telephone and calls his father and asks him: ‘The place are you? When are you coming dwelling?’ I’ve movies and recordings of me and my husband, so typically I present him the movies in order that he can hear his father’s voice. He says: ‘That’s my dad! He answered my name!’
“He likes wanting on the photos and the movies of his father. I take Khalid to Shadi’s grave – we planted flowers there, so we go to water them. I attempt my finest to not cry in entrance of my son.”
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