By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-11-28 06:21:23 | Updated at 2024-11-28 08:46:42
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The conflict in Gaza, which started in October 2023, has completely crippled the local healthcare system, leading to significant casualties. Krystal So, midwife activity manager for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), assisted Gazans during two stints at Nasser Hospital in May and September this year, despite the heavy bombardment damaging healthcare facilities.
In Gaza, more than 10,000 hours have passed with the sounds of fighter jets becoming daily background noise, and there has been no moment of peace, Krystal reflected.
“In more than a year, no miracles have occurred, and there hasn't been enough food or drinking water. Gazans have had to flee from the war multiple times, moving their entire families. They endure the scorching summer and the harsh winter in tents, but cannot escape the bombs falling from the sky,” she recounts. “They watch helplessly as family members, children, parents, and best friends die around them.”
In many cultures, the birth of newborns symbolises hope. But hope is exactly what is lacking among the displaced Gazans.
Krystal recounted that buildings would frequently shake at night due to bombings. She once witnessed the hospital entrance being bombed, and heard shootings near the clinic. What saddened her more is that two local colleagues lost their lives in the conflict during her second stint in Gaza. She admitted feeling "very heavy-hearted" upon learning of her colleagues' deaths, and the entire team couldn’t function for half a day. The things she witnessed constantly reminded herself of the reason behind her return: "It's because they are facing these difficulties and harsh realities, so I want to continue to learn, help, and work together with them."
“In more than a year, people have heard hysterical screams, smelled the stench of blood, shed endless tears, and witnessed people covered in scars,” Krystal notes. “The merciless war has gone too far, shattering the dreams of an entire society overnight and leaving them with nothing. Babies' faces have been torn apart by explosions, and orphans are forced to beg for food on the streets.”
The relentless bombings have led to increasing despair, helplessness, and physical and mental breakdowns among the Gazans, Krystal observes. "No one, not even international organisations, expected the conflict to last for more than a year.”
While there were still children playing and smiling in May, during her second stint in September there were "much fewer smiles and a complete reluctance to communicate,” Krystal notes, adding that children often cried and broke down when seeking help at the hospital. Due to shortages of supplies, more children were scavenging, begging, fetching water, and searching for food in garbage heaps.
With ongoing border closures and a destroyed water supply system, Gaza has been stricken with severe shortages of medicine, water, and food. Relief efforts by the MSF team have been hampered. Members have experienced a lack of sugar, eggs, blankets, and even basic painkillers. Krystal mentions the serious issue of food insecurity and poor hygiene conditions affecting MSF staff. She contracted a skin disease during her assignment in May. In September, the entire team suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting.
