Emergency appeal for Gaza- Al Ahli Hospital

The War on Gaza has now been running for more than 6 months and over 33,000 people are dead and over 70,000 injured.  Ten days after the Hamas attack on October 7th that left 1,200 Israelis dead, the Al Ahli ‘baptist’ hospital was the first hospital in Gaza to be hit by a rocket.  At the time 1000s of people had been sheltering in the  hospital’s courtyard as it was seen as a safe place, an apolitical church run institution. Nearly 500 people were killed when the rocket exploded and 100’s more injured, doctors present described the most horrific scenes of death and destruction. 

However the next day the hospital opened again and resumed treating patients. 

The hospital has continued to run despite facing multiple acute challenges.  For a period leading up to the November’s cease fire it was the only operating hospital in Gaza, despite only having 90 beds it had over 400 patients - and converted the chapel and reception areas into temporary wards. 

It has continued to run well beyond its capacity and has faced continued shortages, whether those be in medical personnel, medicines, dressings and other basic medical supplies, anaesthetics and antibiotics, food for patients and staff or power.  Over the 6 months at different stages each of these has been critical.

Before Christmas the hospital was having to carry out major surgeries without anaesthetics or antibiotics - these included amputations and caesareans. 

On 19th December we heard that the hospital had been attacked again, the entrance way and walls destroyed and medical staff detained by the Israeli Military. These medical staff were gradually  released in the south of Gaza, the final person in early February - who reported systematic mistreatment. 

In January and February patients and staff were surviving on 1 meal of rice a day and the hospital had run out of fuel. This meant that they were dependent on the hospitals damaged  solar panels for electricity, they charged mobile phones during the day time and had to use the torches from them for medical procedures after dark.  These solar panels were then damaged further when one of the US aid drops landed upon them. Since then they have received fuel supplies but medical staff, food and medical supplies are all at critically low levels. 

With the destruction and closure of Al Shifa hospital - Gaza’s largest hospital - they are once again one of the handful of hospitals running in North Gaza and are inundated with patients.  They are receiving over 200 injured patients, each day the operating theatre is working non stop and there are approximately 150 inpatients. They have had to once again started to use the chapel, the two floors library buildings and reception as emergency wards to house these people. 

Amos Trust sent through  emergency aid immediately after the war started and again after the October 17th attack. We have recently sent further funds to support the salaries for the hospital staff including those who are sheltering in the South of Gaza and can no longer access the hospital.  These staff have in the last few weeks opened a new temporary clinic in Rafah at the southern tip of Gaza as nearly 1 million displaced people are sheltering there.