World / October 13, 2023

Report From Gaza: “The Hospital Yard Is Filled With Corpses”

Israel’s bombardment has pushed Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, beyond its capacity, with electricity and water cuts endangering the lives of patients.

Ibtisam Mahdi
Ooutside the morgue of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, a Palestinian man weeps while carrying the body of one of the victims killed by Israeli air strikes.
Ooutside the morgue of Dar Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, a Palestinian man weeps while carrying the body of one of the victims killed by Israeli air strikes.(Mohammed Talatene / picture-alliance / dpa / AP Images)

Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director general of Dar Al-Shifa (House of Healing) Hospital and the chairman of the Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip, has said that if the world does not intervene to stop Israel’s bombardment and intensified siege of the Gaza Strip, “We will be in a catastrophic health situation, and the health system at Al-Shifa Hospital will collapse within hours.”

Abu Salmiya spoke to me on Thursday afternoon from the hospital, trying to juggle his responsibilities to staff and patients with his determination to keep journalists informed about the crisis at the medical center. He was clearly exhausted and overwhelmed by the chaos.

“The scene is tragic. We are witnessing unprecedented numbers almost every hour, reaching 100 wounded and 20 martyrs every hour. We have never witnessed these numbers before.”

The capacity of Al-Shifa Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the Gaza Strip, has reached its limit, he said. Doctors have been forced to place the wounded in corridors, pathways, and on the floor to perform urgent treatment on them.

The intensive care unit can no longer accommodate more wounded, as all beds are occupied and the operation departments are working around the clock. Across Gaza, medical supplies and fuel have almost run out.

Current Issue

Cover of June 2025 Issue

According to Abu Salmiya, this extraordinary strain on the hospital has exhausted the medical staff, who have been working continuously for six days with almost no rest. The most difficult moments—which have happened all too frequently—have been those when “staff members received news of the martyrdom of a family member or relative, or that their homes were targeted,” Abu Salmiya said. ”But the staff still did not leave their positions and continued providing medical service.”

Abu Salmiya said that there is currently only enough fuel to last three more days. Some batteries have been provided to replace the fuel in the lighting, but they only work partially and cannot be a sufficient substitute. “These are only temporary solutions,” he warned.

Abu Salmiya added that 120 patients in the intensive care unit need continuous oxygen, as do nursery and premature birth departments, operation rooms, and dialysis units. They also need constant electricity, or their systems will cease and collapse completely, which could mean the loss of the lives of everyone being treated in them.

Even the hospital’s services for the dead had to be shuttered. “We decided not to receive the bodies of martyrs in the mortuary refrigerators anymore, because they simply cannot accommodate the huge number of corpses. The hospital yard is now filled with martyrs for families to give a quick farewell, before being taken out of the yard and buried.”

The Nation Weekly

Fridays. A weekly digest of the best of our coverage.
By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. You can read our Privacy Policy here.

Despite all these challenges, the hospital administration at Al-Shifa is currently seeking to set up tents in the yard to receive some of the wounded, as well as patients who have been discharged, or cannot return to their destroyed homes, or need their conditions monitored. But there are still not enough basic provisions to meet even those services, and there are no alternatives.

As such, Abu Salmiya called on international organizations and the Red Cross to intervene immediately to bring medical supplies and fuel to Gaza, and demanded that foreign governments find serious solutions to the worsening situation.

“It seems that the international community has unanimously agreed on the extermination of the people in Gaza by letting Israel cut off electricity and water and collapsing the entire health system—the most important system in times of wars,” he said.

Ibtisam Mahdi

Ibtisam Mahdi is a freelance journalist from Gaza specializing in reporting about social issues, especially concerning women and children. She also works with feminist organizations in Gaza on reporting and communications.

More from The Nation

“Severed”: The Story of a Teen From Gaza

“Severed”: The Story of a Teen From Gaza “Severed”: The Story of a Teen From Gaza

At 18, Mohamad Saleh has survived five wars and lost his home, his family members, his leg. This new film, produced with The Nation, follows him as he tries to piece together his ...

Jen Marlowe

Ukrainian, American, and Russian delegates meet for Ukraine-Russia peace talks on May 16, 2025, at the office of the Turkish president in Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.

Why US Engagement Is Essential in Setting Terms for Peace in Ukraine Why US Engagement Is Essential in Setting Terms for Peace in Ukraine

The Russian and Ukrainian positions are far apart, and absent US sticks and carrots, there seems little prospect they will come together.

Anatol Lieven

A horse-drawn carriage passes a photovoltaic park in Yaguaramas, Cienfuegos Province, Cuba, where hundreds of workers are hastily installing 44,000 solar panels.

Cuba Finally Embraces Solar Cuba Finally Embraces Solar

China to the rescue—as the US imposes more sanctions.

Marc Frank

President Donald J. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a bilateral meeting at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s “Golden Age” Means No End to Palestinian Slaughter Trump’s “Golden Age” Means No End to Palestinian Slaughter

The president’s much-touted foreign policy shake-up is blighted by continued support for genocide.

Jeet Heer

The Return of the Nuclear Threat

The Return of the Nuclear Threat The Return of the Nuclear Threat

While most of the world looked away, a new nuclear arms race has broken out between the US, Russia, and China, raising the risk of nuclear confrontation to the highest in decades....

Feature / Jimmy Tobias

Relatives mourn after the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes were brought to a hospital.

The Nakba Has Never Ended The Nakba Has Never Ended

In Gaza, the boundary marking past and present has become indistinct. Nineteen forty-eight is not over—it is unfolding again, and in more violent and destructive ways.

Huda Skaik