UN Aid Worker Shares Harrowing Experience Reaching al-Ahli Hospital during Israel-Gaza Conflict

Jake Morland, a British aid worker with the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has detailed his eyewitness account of a dangerous mission to transfer patients under difficult conditions in Gaza. Last Saturday, a joint convoy consisting of six ambulances and a truck organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society set off to deliver essential medical supplies to al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza. The convoy was also meant to transfer critically injured patients from al-Ahli to a hospital in the south. The convoy had to pass through an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint at Wadi Gaza. However, instead of encountering free access for humanitarian personnel and goods, they faced Israeli soldiers aiming their machine guns at the Palestinian paramedics, UN vehicles, and the trucks carrying medical supplies. Two Palestinian paramedics were even led away for questioning, where one was reportedly humiliated before being released. Morland stated that the mistreatment of his Palestinian colleagues was dehumanizing and unacceptable. As they continued their journey, the convoy encountered unexploded bombs on the roads and streets strewn with debris in the old city of Gaza. Additionally, they faced gunfire, with the ambulance and a truck being hit. At the checkpoint on the return journey, they were held for over two hours, forcing critically injured patients to wait. The wounded were forced out of the ambulance at gunpoint to be profiled. Eventually, a decision had to be made to leave behind one of the detained paramedics, as patients were dying due to delays caused by the checkpoint. Morland believes that if they had been allowed timely access, one patient's death could have been prevented. The IDF responded to these allegations by claiming that one of the paramedics was detained due to suspected association with terror activities. They stated that they encouraged the rest of the convoy to proceed to the southern hospital, but three ambulances chose to stay with the suspect. Regarding the reported death of a patient, the IDF said it was only reported to them days later and they are yet to verify it independently. Morland was deeply shocked by the conditions he witnessed at al-Ahli Hospital, where the number of patients exceeded the hospital's capacity. Instead of treating broken bones, the hospital was now dealing with life-threatening injuries caused by war. Morland described the scenes as horrific, with patients lying next to body bags. Despite the dangers, Palestinian paramedics and aid workers continue to show compassion and dignity as they risk their lives to help and bring patients to safety in northern Gaza. The World Health Organization released a statement calling for the protection of healthcare and humanitarian aid workers.