'Incomprehensible' Horror in Gaza: US Doctor Shares Firsthand Accounts

Tone & Political Bias: Moderately Left-Leaning

Why: The report highlights humanitarian suffering, criticizes Israeli policies, and includes voices calling the violence “genocidal,” while presenting Israeli government denials. The framing leans toward emphasizing Palestinian civilian suffering.

A Doctor’s Testimony from Gaza

Dr. Aqsa Durrani, an American physician with more than 15 years of humanitarian experience, described the medical and humanitarian situation in Gaza as “incomprehensible.” She worked at a trauma field hospital in central Gaza between February 24 and April 24, 2024, during the collapse of a ceasefire and Israel’s blockade on aid.

Durrani, a pediatric ICU doctor and epidemiologist affiliated with Doctors Without Borders, recounted one story of a 4-year-old girl who was found injured and alone after an Israeli airstrike. A colleague sheltered the child in his home until she was reunited with her uncle days later.

Field Hospitals Under Strain

Field hospitals in Gaza, set up to relieve overwhelmed facilities, could only provide basic lifesaving trauma care.

Doctors treated burn and blast victims but lacked the resources for other critical services.
Patients increasingly arrived with gunshot wounds, including children, from reported incidents at aid distribution sites.
Physicians and nurses often worked while airstrikes shook the surrounding area, raising their voices over explosions to continue patient care.

The Toll on Medical Staff

Many doctors and nurses faced personal loss while treating others.

Some medical staff encountered their own family members brought in as casualties.
One of Gaza’s few child psychiatrists apologized for being unable to see patients because he was displaced and had lost family members.
Despite trauma and resource shortages, Durrani said local staff maintained “beautiful, compassionate, evidence-based care.”

Food and Humanitarian Crisis

By late April, food supplies had become critically scarce.

Patients at Durrani’s hospital received only one meal a day.
Mothers often shared a single portion with their children.
One mother asked if doctors could give her burned child “anything to distract him from the hunger.”

More than 100 aid groups have warned of potential mass starvation in Gaza.

Conflicting Narratives on Aid and Violence

The humanitarian crisis has sparked conflicting claims:

Israel’s position: Officials deny restricting aid and accuse Hamas of stealing supplies. Spokesman David Mencer said “there is no famine,” blaming shortages on Hamas.
Hamas’s position: The group denies diverting aid.
U.S. findings: A USAID review of 150 reported incidents found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft of humanitarian aid.
Casualties: Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported at least 2,018 deaths and 15,000 injuries at aid distribution sites since May 28.

International Reaction

Israel’s government recently approved plans to expand its military campaign in Gaza, drawing sharp criticism.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk warned the escalation would cause “more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction.”
Germany and other allies joined the U.N. in calling for restraint.

Durrani described Gaza as “a dystopian reality,” saying that the devastation and suffering she witnessed was unlike any other humanitarian mission in her career.