Gaza bombing at its worst says UK surgeon after mission

British surgeon Victoria Rose has just returned to London after completing her third humanitarian mission in Gaza since the beginning of Israel's war in October 2023. During nearly four weeks at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza this May, Rose experienced what she describes as the most intense period of violence and devastation yet.

Every morning began at 4 a.m. with the sound of bombing. In long 14-hour shifts, she often operated on 12 to 13 patients a day  far more than the three she typically sees in London. In mass casualty situations, those shifts stretched even longer.

Among the many patients she treated were 11-year-old Adam al-Najjar, the only surviving child of a family killed in Khan Younis; Aziza, an orphaned eight-year-old with burns; and two brothers, Yakoob and Mohammed, who also lost their entire family. A particularly harrowing case involved a seven-year-old girl whose leg was so severely damaged by an explosion that it had to be amputated despite repeated attempts to save it.

According to Rose, the recent wave of injuries was markedly different  much more severe and direct than the shrapnel wounds seen in earlier missions. Victims appeared to have been at the epicenter of explosions, with body parts blown off.

The surge in child casualties was especially distressing. Compared to her March 2024 trip, the number of injured children she treated had doubled. She described Nasser Hospital as overwhelmed, not by the chronically ill as in the UK, but by once-healthy civilians who had suffered catastrophic injuries.

Rose also witnessed the aftermath of violence tied to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a mechanism reportedly backed by Israel and the US. Victims of an attack aimed at people trying to receive aid arrived at the hospital with gunshot wounds. Despite official denials, she recalls standing beside 30 body bags as false narratives circulated.

Widespread malnutrition compounded the crisis. Many children at the hospital were severely underweight. Some died because the only formula available was unsuitable for those with lactose intolerance or other medical needs. Even trauma patients struggled to heal, their immune systems weakened by hunger and a lack of antibiotics.

The emotional toll on medical staff is immense. Rose shared that many colleagues feel broken, having lost family members and homes after relocating multiple times. “They are at their lowest,” she said.

Rose emphasized that the humanitarian catastrophe is not a natural disaster, but a preventable and reversible crisis. “If the right international pressure is applied,” she insisted, “this could be stopped immediately.” Without intervention, she fears the very existence of Gaza and its people is in jeopardy.