Doctors at one of Gaza City's last functioning hospitals say they are overwhelmed with casualties from Israeli strikes and are having to carry out operations in filthy conditions with few or no anaesthetics. One Australian medic volunteering at al-Shifa hospital told the BBC that every day was a mass casualty event, while another described how a baby had been saved from the body of a pregnant woman who had been killed.
Israeli forces are now just 500m (1,640ft) away from the hospital as they expand their ground offensive to fully occupy Gaza City, which Israel's military calls Hamas's main stronghold.
Witnesses say tanks are advancing into the city center from the south and north-west. Israeli air and artillery strikes, attacks by quadcopter drones and detonations of remotely driven vehicles laden with explosives continue to drive tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes each day.
The Israeli military says it is carrying out the offensive in Gaza City to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the hostages still held by the group after 23 months of war.
Al-Shifa hospital was once the biggest medical complex in the Gaza Strip. It now lies in ruins, and doctors are working beyond full stretch. It's just a mass murder, a killing, a torture, a nightmare, Dr. Nada Abu Alrub, an emergency specialist from Australia, said.
Dr. Saya Aziz, another Australian anaesthetist, described horrific conditions where patients wait for urgent care with inadequate supplies and both mental and physical anguish prominent among medical staff. As the Israeli military advance continues, the humanitarian situation grows increasingly precarious, with expectations of further casualties and a surge of those needing urgent medical assistance.
Israeli forces are now just 500m (1,640ft) away from the hospital as they expand their ground offensive to fully occupy Gaza City, which Israel's military calls Hamas's main stronghold.
Witnesses say tanks are advancing into the city center from the south and north-west. Israeli air and artillery strikes, attacks by quadcopter drones and detonations of remotely driven vehicles laden with explosives continue to drive tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes each day.
The Israeli military says it is carrying out the offensive in Gaza City to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the hostages still held by the group after 23 months of war.
Al-Shifa hospital was once the biggest medical complex in the Gaza Strip. It now lies in ruins, and doctors are working beyond full stretch. It's just a mass murder, a killing, a torture, a nightmare, Dr. Nada Abu Alrub, an emergency specialist from Australia, said.
Dr. Saya Aziz, another Australian anaesthetist, described horrific conditions where patients wait for urgent care with inadequate supplies and both mental and physical anguish prominent among medical staff. As the Israeli military advance continues, the humanitarian situation grows increasingly precarious, with expectations of further casualties and a surge of those needing urgent medical assistance.
