In the heart-wrenching aftermath of Israeli strikes in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, international doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza were left shocked by the harrowing injuries sustained by Palestinian children. The casualties, including a toddler with a fractured skull and an infant with part of her face blown off, paint a grim picture of the devastating impact of the war on innocent lives.

Medics at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah shared accounts of the distressing casualties with The Associated Press. Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive-care doctor from Jordan, recounted the tragic fate of a toddler who succumbed to a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike, while his cousin, a baby, fights for her life with severe facial injuries from the same attack. Another 10-year-old boy, unaware of his parents' death in the strike, cried out in pain as burns covered his sister's body.

Gaza's health sector, after enduring six months of war, now lies in ruins. Approximately a dozen of the territory's 36 hospitals are barely functioning or completely shut down due to depleted supplies, fuel shortages, raids by Israeli troops, or damage inflicted in the fighting. As a result, hospitals like Al-Aqsa Martyrs are overwhelmed with an excessive number of patients and limited resources, having to care for most of their intensive care unit beds occupied by children, many wrapped in bandages and reliant on oxygen masks.

Dr. Haj-Hassan, who has extensive experience in Gaza, expressed her distress at the overwhelming task of resuscitating children in such dire circumstances, highlighting the plight of every other hospital in the Gaza Strip. Mustafa Abu Qassim, a nurse from Jordan among the visiting team, further emphasized the dire conditions, describing patients relegated to corridors on makeshift beds due to the lack of available rooms.

Before the conflict, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital had a capacity of approximately 160 beds, but the number of patients has now skyrocketed to around 800. However, with a significant portion of the hospital's staff unable to work, the strain on the remaining healthcare workers is immense.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the Israeli bombardment and offensive have resulted in the death of more than 32,000 Palestinians and left nearly 75,000 more wounded in the densely populated territory, home to 2.3 million people. Disturbingly, about half of Gaza's population is estimated to be 17 years old or younger, placing an enormous burden on the already stretched healthcare system.

Israel maintains that Hamas, the militant group operating within civilian areas, is responsible for the deaths and injuries of non-combatants. While it claims that over one-third of the casualties are Hamas militants, the Israeli government has yet to provide substantial evidence to support this assertion.

As the conflict continues to exact a devastating toll on innocent lives, the urgent need for international aid and intervention in Gaza's health sector becomes even more critical. The international community must step in to address the mounting crisis and safeguard the well-being of Palestinian children caught in the crossfire.