Australian Doctors Describe ‘Nightmare’ Conditions at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

By Staff, Agencies

Two Australian doctors working in Gaza have described the dire conditions at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where they are struggling to save lives under relentless "Israeli" bombardment and severe shortages of basic medical supplies.

In testimony published by news.com.au on Monday, Dr. Nada Abu Alrub and Dr. Saya Aziz detailed their journey from al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza to al-Shifa, a trip that should have taken 20 minutes but stretched into eight hours due to widespread evacuations and ongoing strikes.

“It’s a nightmare,” Abu Alrub said, recounting back-to-back bombings of al-Shifa by "Israeli" Apache helicopters, F-35 stealth jets, and F-16 aircraft.

She said more than 1,500 people remain trapped under rubble, while patients and bodies continue to overwhelm the facility.

Medical conditions inside the hospital are described as “chaotic” and “catastrophic.” Supplies such as soap, gloves, and anesthetics are nonexistent, forcing staff to treat patients on the floor with only ketamine available for pain relief.

“One mass casualty today, at least 10 to 20 [were] dead on arrival … we can’t do anything,” Abu Alrub said.

She also recalled delivering a baby girl by emergency C-section from a nine-month-pregnant woman who had been decapitated in an airstrike—a moment that underscored both the horror and resilience witnessed daily.

Aziz added that patients often arrive on makeshift mattresses carried from the rubble by their families.

“Healthcare is not collapsing, it has collapsed,” she said, describing filthy wards infested with flies and a near-total absence of medical resources.

Both doctors reported living in constant fear with no electricity, internet, or evacuation orders. “We are hardly surviving … and hardly able to help anyone,” Abu Alrub said.

Aziz stressed that the majority of casualties were children, women, and young families, adding she felt “ashamed to be an Australian” given her government’s ongoing support for "Israel" despite the humanitarian catastrophe.