STORY: On-site in Gaza: struggles inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital
SHOOTING TIME: March 15, 18, 2024
DATELINE: March 20, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:58
LOCATION: Gaza
CATEGORY: OTHERS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza (shooting time: March 18, 2024)
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): JABER, Kidney failure patient in Gaza
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SAEED, Kidney failure patient in Gaza
4. various of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza (shooting time: March 15, 2024)
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): YAHYA HAMAD, 9-year-old Gaza resident
6. various of Yahya Hamad
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): FATEN MOHAMED, Yahya's aunt

STORYLINE:

It has been more than 160 days since the new round of large-scale conflicts between Hamas and Israel began.

The conflicts have killed tens of thousands of people and severely damaged infrastructure, including hospitals, in the coastal enclave.

Over 30 hospitals and more than 50 medical centers in Gaza are out of service.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza is one of the few that still operates. Life-and-death struggles are taking place here every day.

Patients with serious illnesses are finding it hard to continue with their treatment.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): JABER, Kidney failure patient in Gaza
"The dialysis department here has only 20 machines but serves over 400 patients. There is a high demand that often results in malfunctions in the devices."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SAEED, Kidney failure patient in Gaza
"Kidney patients face numerous challenges, including reaching the hospital amid difficult transportation, shortened dialysis sessions lasting only two hours, and lack of medications and treatment options.
We can only find canned food to eat, which are forbidden for kidney patients due to their high contents of preservatives and potassium."

On the one hand, there is a lack of medical supplies. On the other, more people are injured and need to seek medical treatment.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): YAHYA HAMAD, 9-year-old Gaza resident
"After the house was bombed, I was trapped under the rubble and unable to move. I remained there for about half an hour, calling for help until one of our neighbors heard me and saw my hands moving. She then went to inform others, and they eventually took me to the hospital."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): FATEN MOHAMED, Yahya's aunt
"This boy is the only survivor of my brother's family. Everyone else who was inside this house died.
The family was displaced in Rafah, and recently, they were able to return to their home in Al-Zawaida town. However, the house was bombed, and almost everyone in it died. What did they do to deserve this? These are innocent civilians."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza.
(XHTV)