STORY: Wounded Gazans face life-threatening conditions amid medicine, fuel shortages
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Aug. 23, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:24
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Dima Aqel in the hospital
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): DIMA AQEL, Palestinian girl
3. various of Lama Aqel in the hospital
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAMA AQEL, Palestinian girl
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): YOUSEF MAHANI, Surgeon at Al-Aqsa Hospital

STORYLINE:

In the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, two sisters, Dima and Lama Aqel, are struggling to survive in the besieged enclave, where medicine is scarce and the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse.

The sisters, the only survivors of their eight-member family, lost their loved ones in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed their home in June.

After losing consciousness, Dima awoke hours later in Deir al-Balah's Al-Aqsa Hospital, surrounded by her injured family members. With burns covering 85 percent of their bodies, they endured excruciating pain, yet found no sterile environment for treatment. Overwhelmed by the number of casualties, the hospital struggled to provide timely care.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): DIMA AQEL, Palestinian girl
"I suffer from severe wounds in my feet, but due to the lack of medical treatment, my feet began to rot. Due to the lack of medical treatment, I lost my father, mother, aunt, and little brother, although his condition was better than mine. I have been in the hospital for a month and my condition is difficult and most of the operations that were performed on me were without anesthesia."

Despite the efforts of the hospital's doctors, the shortage of medicine proved fatal for Dima's parents, grandmother, brother, and aunt. Dima and her 12-year-old sister, Lama, were the only ones who survived. 

Now alone, suffering from fractures and burns, the sisters desperately need to leave Gaza for medical treatment abroad.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAMA AQEL, Palestinian girl
"On Friday night, we were praying the evening prayer and suddenly we heard a very loud explosion and then I saw a red light and then a black light. At first, I remained under the rubble and did not understand anything, but after a while, I began to understand and move the stones away from my mouth so I could breathe. I tried to move the stones away until I was able to escape from under the rubble and went to my uncle's house. Then the ambulance came and took me to Al-Awda Hospital and then to Al-Aqsa Hospital and I was admitted to the intensive care unit. I had hoped to travel to receive treatment, but because the crossing was closed, I was unable to travel, but I hope it will be opened again and I can travel abroad to receive treatment."

The Aqel family's story is one of many. Hundreds of patients, mainly burn victims, have died due to inadequate treatment, said Yousef Mahani, a surgeon at Al-Aqsa Hospital.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): YOUSEF MAHANI, Surgeon at Al-Aqsa Hospital
"The lack of medical capabilities led to the death of the wounded. The percentage of burns was high in the wounded, which often resulted in between 80 percent of (burns on) their bodies. We appeal to the international community to provide medical aid amid the severe shortage. The wounded must be allowed to travel abroad."

The ongoing war has caused severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies, leaving hospitals and healthcare centers in Gaza barely operational. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the situation is dire, particularly in northern Gaza.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)