The listeners of the Hoy por Hoy program were frozen when listening this morning to the harsh testimony of Ricardo Martínez, head of Logistics for the Emergency unit of Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The guest on the radio program has just arrived in Spain after spending a month in the Gaza Strip, so he has experienced the Palestinian-Israeli conflict up close.
Throughout the interview, the man has made it clear that there is no “safe place” in Gaza right now and that the pressure to which all the inhabitants of the place are subjected is inhumane.
“Hospitals are no longer hospitals, they are towns,” the worker explained in response to a very indignant Àngels Barceló who could not believe the terrible events she was hearing.
“There are countless families who are living in the hospital corridors, in the waiting rooms, in the surrounding areas, seeking shelter and security from the bombings to which they are subjected. Which makes it very difficult to work in these conditions. A “A hospital like Al Aqsa, with 200 beds, has more than 600 patients in this entire environment. It is very complicated,” stated the coordinator of Doctors Without Borders.
As he explained, it is impossible to care for all the people who arrive at the medical centers: ”We had not been there for even three days when the first large influx of wounded arrived in Al Nasser: a missile fell less than a kilometer from where we were. 120 people arrived: 70 dead. The vast majority are children and women.”
Furthermore, the worker has shared that many health professionals have to play ‘judges’ and decide which people they are trying to save amidst the avalanche of injured people: “Do you know that children defecate, open their sphincters, before dying of afraid? Our companions were stained with blood and children’s feces from the fear they had before dying.” Once they are treated, the situation does not improve either: ”Even they say: ‘I prefer to die from bombs than this slow death What are you giving us?
Martínez has also pointed out the great lack of materials that the workers there face, as well as food, water and all kinds of resources: ”There is no opening of the border, there is no passage of material. When humanitarian aid arrives, they prohibit us from entering (…) It is painful when your colleagues tell you that they have to operate and anesthetize with almost no medication. And also the postoperative period. “There are many people who are dying from their injuries.”
Furthermore, all this always refers to the southern part of the territory, since the north is completely devastated: ”We are talking about the southern part of Gaza. The north is a black hole, it is impossible to get there. You can’t get close because the tanks are shooting. Rafah’s is the only entrance there is. “We can’t help people if they don’t open the border.”