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“It’s almost surreal seeing that level of destruction; I don’t think you’re ever prepared for it until you see it.”
“I was there for two weeks and I did absolutely everything I could to get through most people. There were two or three times where I’d operate through late nights just to try and get through the cases.”

Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip on Friday. Source: AAP, AP / Jehad Alshrafi
‘Shocking’ scenes and a ‘bittersweet’ goodbye
He said one of his patients was a six-year-old with wounds to the face, head, and left eye after a projectile hit her as she slept in her family’s tent.
“Operating on young kids with brain tumours and only having CT scans was really quite challenging.”

Dr Chris Holden (second from left) and Dr Mohammad Awad (third from left). PANZMA has facilitated international doctors travelling to Gaza to volunteer their expertise. Source: Supplied / PANZMA
Much of Gaza has also lost electricity and struggled to access clean water throughout the war. Local doctors are fatigued, run down, and many have not had a lot of international experience or training.
“The sweet was coming back to family and friends and getting out safely. The bitter of course was leaving behind all those people that you know you couldn’t help and all the queues of people outside the clinic who are looking to you for care and attention.”
Ceasefire negotiations

Palestinians whose homes were destroyed in Israeli attacks come together at a mass Iftar event during the Islamic holy month Ramadan, on Saturday. Source: Getty, Anadolu / Ali Jadallah
Underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire, Gaza medics said four Palestinians were killed on Friday by an Israeli airstrike in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.
Israel’s military said it struck two individuals that it identified as “terrorists” operating a drone threatening forces in Beit Lahiya, later striking several other suspects who it said retrieved the drone equipment and entered a vehicle. It did not explain how it identified them or the drone’s threat.
With reporting by the Reuters news agency.