For over four decades, the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society (PFBS) Hospital has been a pillar of healthcare in northern Gaza. But since October 2023, when Israel’s military assault began, the hospital has faced some of its greatest challenges. Dr Saeed Salah, the hospital’s Medical Director, spoke to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) about the toll on Gaza’s healthcare system, the steadfastness of medical teams, and how, with MAP’s support, they have been rebuilding lifesaving care amid renewed bombardment and destruction.
What challenges has the hospital faced since Israel’s military assault began?Everything changed with this devastating war – rules, expectations, and realities. Many hospitals were forced out of service, leaving us struggling to serve communities in northern Gaza.
The most difficult moment came after we restored the hospital following an Israeli military airstrike on 28 January 2024. We rehabilitated the facility and resumed operations on 1 July 2024. But just seven days later, the hospital went out of service again due to severe damage to most of its buildings, including the operating room, surgical units, and maternity ward.
It was an incredibly painful experience – like building a beautiful home, welcoming your guests, and then watching everything collapse suddenly, leaving you with nothing. Despite this, we started again and resumed our activities, determined to serve our people.
How has your hospital and other hospitals in northern Gaza coped, particularly in providing care for newborns?Most hospitals are seriously damaged and only partially functioning. Kamal Adwan Hospital was forced to close in December 2024. Though it briefly reopened to provide limited services, it has since been damaged.
The need for incubators far exceeds supply. Before the war, Gaza City had more than 100 incubators across hospitals such as Shifa, Al-Nasr, and Kamal Adwan. Now, only seven or eight remain. The number of premature babies requiring neonatal intensive care (NICU) has surged due to malnutrition and lack of access to healthcare. Our obstetrics ward operates around the clock, handling six caesarean sections daily and 15 to 20 births overall. Most of the time, bed occupancy is at full capacity.
As many people returned to the north during the temporary ceasefire, the pressure on the remaining facilities has intensified, with an overwhelming number of patients requiring urgent care. Our hospital is now the main facility – in the whole of Gaza – providing paediatric services, intensive care, and neonatal care, and the only one in northern Gaza. I keep on recalling a particularly critical moment on 7 October 2024, when ambulances arrived carrying five newborns from Kamal Adwan Hospital. Crammed into just three incubators, they were left at our doorstep. It was a heartbreaking and challenging situation because we didn’t have the necessary equipment to accommodate them. We scrambled to prepare and managed to care for them, despite our limited resources.
How important is MAP’s support to the hospital’s operations?With MAP’s support, we were able to establish a dedicated paediatric care service. Before the war, our paediatric services were limited to outpatient care. As the war escalated, we established a malnutrition centre, then with MAP’s support we established a general paediatric department, then a paediatric intensive care unit (ICU), and finally a neonatal ICU – all under extreme conditions.
MAP’s support was crucial, particularly in rehabilitating the NICU. Thanks to this, we are the only hospital in northern Gaza caring for premature babies.
What gaps in medical resources or services do you currently face, and how do they affect patient care?The destruction caused by the war has devastated healthcare infrastructure and exhausted our resources. The sheer volume of injuries and illnesses depleted our medical supplies and medicines within the first few months. Israel’s blockade prevents essential medications, equipment, and supplies from entering Gaza, forcing us to operate with the bare minimum.
Organisations like MAP have eased some of this burden by providing medicines, supplies, and equipment sourced from the local market, but the situation remains dire. Many critically ill patients have no access to adequate treatment.
Oxygen shortages are a constant challenge. Without an oxygen station, we rely on 20 cylinders daily, but supply is never guaranteed. When reserves run low, my stress skyrockets. I fear losing a baby in the NICU, so I immediately send urgent appeals for oxygen.
As hospital director, what moment has affected you the most?One of the most harrowing experiences happened in May last year, when a young girl in a critical condition was brought to the hospital. She needed intensive care and a ventilator, but we had none at the time. Tragically, we couldn’t save her.
Now, we have an ICU with eight beds and a fully functioning neonatal unit. Without these, northern Gaza would have no paediatric or neonatal care whatsoever – a disaster and a nightmare.
What message would you like to share with the world?First, we need a permanent ceasefire. Only then can we rebuild, manage resources, and recover. This war is indiscriminate, destroying people, buildings, and infrastructure. Ending it permanently is the only solution.
Second, I urge healthcare organisations to establish medical points as a temporary solution. The Ministry of Health’s hospitals have been obliterated and will take years to rebuild. Medical points are crucial in the meantime.
Gaza’s medical teams have made history. Never before has a war so devastatingly targeted healthcare professionals and facilities. Despite these unprecedented challenges, they’ve stood firm. Dr Hossam Abu Safiya managed Kamal Adwan Hospital until its final moment, even after it was destroyed and set ablaze. His steadfastness and ultimate arrest are emblematic of the sacrifices our medical teams have made.
Countless others have been killed, injured, or tortured. Yet, as long as there is life, we will continue to serve our people and provide whatever we can to alleviate their suffering.
Photo: A healthcare workers in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Patient's Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza City.