Surgeon says Gaza 'like an atomic bomb has dropped'

Prof Nizam Mamode said he dealt with up to two bombings or mass shooting events each day

A retired surgeon has described dealing with daily influxes of bombing and shooting victims while volunteering at a hospital in Gaza.

Prof Nizam Mamode, from Brockenhurst, Hampshire, worked at Nasser hospital for a month in August and September and has just returned to the UK.

The 62-year-old said each day he saw between 10 and 20 deaths and up to 40 people with serious injuries.

The former clinical lead of transplant surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London said most of the victims were women and children.

Prof Mamode said the hospital, which was raided by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in February, was the last one in Gaza that was "still functioning on a significant level".

He said doctors were coping with one or two mass casualty events a day, following bombings and drone attacks.

The retired surgeon said areas of Gaza looked as if "an atomic bomb had dropped"

The surgeon, who has previously worked in other conflict zones, said it was "unlike anything that I've ever seen before".

He recalled: "It was a complete shock. The moment you cross the border into Gaza it's as if an atomic bomb has dropped.

"All you see is rubble for miles around. You're driving for 30 minutes through this landscape, there's hardly anybody around, just a few armed looters.

"And then you come to the central area of Gaza where you've got a million and a half people just crammed together in a very, very small area, with so-called tents on every piece of land available.

"We were dealing mainly with trauma victims... people who were missing their arms, their legs.

"I think one of the things that shocked me most was the fact that this just continued day after day and has been going on like this for a year now.

"There was no real let-up. Pretty much every day we'd be dealing with these casualties."

Prof Mamode said the victims were mainly women and children

Prof Mamode said he was willing to return to Gaza if called upon.

His visit was arranged with British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, which has been active since 1982.

Last year Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October last year, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others as hostages.

The incursion was to become the deadliest attack in Israeli history and as of September 2024, around 100 people are still believed to be held hostage in Gaza.

Israel then launched a military campaign in Gaza that has now killed a total of 41,689 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military insists it does not target civilians and has accused Hamas of using the population as a human shield.