Operations are being carried out without proper anaesthetics and what painkillers there are have to be rationed, say doctors
In Gaza’s Nasser hospital, Mahmoud* lies with a gunshot wound to his left leg. His knee is shattered and the wound has become infected. The boy is writhing in pain but the doctors don’t have the painkillers to ease his suffering. He is given a nerve block, which stops him from feeling anything, and the relief allows him to sleep for a while. But once that wears off, the agony returns.
More than 167,000 Palestinians have been injured in Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry. From burns and blast wounds to lost limbs and fractured bones, Gaza’s hospitals have been overwhelmed by patients in profound pain.
