‘I felt ashamed of my own humanity,’ Turkish doctors describe devastation in Gaza

Turkish doctors who volunteered to provide medical aid in Gaza shared firsthand accounts of the humanitarian crisis under Israeli bombardments, describing catastrophic damage to the region’s healthcare system and civilian infrastructure.

Speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in Istanbul, the President of AID International Doctors Association, Yavuz Dede, cited World Health Organization (WHO) data showing at least 516 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza this year alone.

Hospitals targeted, healthcare access crippled

“These attacks are systematic, specifically targeting hospitals and ambulances,” said Dede. “The healthcare system has been completely dismantled. Al-Shifa Hospital, Nasser Pediatric Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, and numerous other medical centers have been bombed. The buildings are in ruins.”

Dede explained that out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, 30 have been shut down or rendered completely non-operational.

“According to WHO and United Nations sources, only a few hospitals remain partially functional, and even those face severe capacity issues,” he added.

Tens of thousands wounded, thousands maimed

According to Dede, since the onset of the conflict, more than 60,000 people have been killed and over 110,000 wounded in Gaza. “More than 20,000 people have suffered limb loss and are waiting for prosthetic support — at least 7,000 of them are children,” he said. “One-fourth of the injured have experienced severe trauma and may face permanent disabilities if not treated.”

Dede emphasized that Israel’s strategy appears aimed at erasing civilian life in Gaza, stating, “By targeting infrastructure and essential living conditions, Israel is making the region uninhabitable. This amounts to a war of attrition — a policy of destruction and genocide under international law,” he stated.

“The international community’s silence in the face of these events is a violation of human dignity. The right to health and life is universal. Standing by while this right is systematically denied is complicity in the crime,” he concluded.

Imaging equipment scarce, hospitals in ruins

Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Uygun, AID’s Kutahya representative, who spent over two months in Gaza, described the healthcare situation as “barely functional.” He noted that most hospitals in the north were deliberately destroyed.

“The largest northern hospital, Al-Shifa, is completely inoperable,” Uygun reported. “El-Ehli Arab (Baptist) Hospital has also been devastated. I spoke to the chief physician yesterday — they’ve shut the hospital down and are no longer admitting patients.”

He added,”CT scanners are essential in trauma and conflict zones. Gaza has only two CT machines: one at El-Ehli Arab Hospital in the north and another at Nasser Hospital in the south. The northern scanner is currently out of service, and the attacks have only intensified.”

Firsthand testimony from frontline medical teams

Surgeon Dr. Yilmaz Mertsoy, who also worked in Gaza, compared their experience to imprisonment. “From the moment we entered Gaza, it felt like being inside a prison,” he said. “What’s happening there is the annihilation of an entire generation, an entire people. It is a site of genocide. As a healthcare worker, I felt ashamed of my own humanity.”