A Japanese member of the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders is appealing for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. He says his pediatric ward in the territory has been receiving far more patients than it can treat.
Hagiwara Ken has been in charge of the nongovernmental organization’s operations in central and southern Gaza. In an online interview with NHK on Saturday, he spoke about the medical situation in the Strip, where the Israeli military is still carrying out airstrikes.
The Israeli offensive continued there on Saturday.
Palestinian media outlets reported that several civilians were killed and dozens were injured in Israeli airstrikes in northern and southern Gaza.
Health authorities in the enclave say 41,183 people have died since the conflict started last October.
Hagiwara told NHK that Israel’s airstrikes have made it difficult for people to rest during the day or sleep at night.
He said scores of children have contracted infectious diseases. He added that many kids are suffering from malnutrition, due to shortages of food.
The doctor said that every day about 140 children are brought to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where he provides medical care. He noted that the hospital’s pediatric ward only has about 70 beds.
Hagiwara reported that the ward can no longer accept such large numbers of patients, as it is already overwhelmed.
He said the ward has managed to continue to function by having two or three patients share one bed and by treating children on mattresses laid out in the corridors.
Hagiwara said that medical facilities should be kept safe, so that services can be seamlessly provided. He noted that the only way to do that is to implement a ceasefire.