London – Saba:
British doctors who worked in the Gaza Strip during the war have warned that the long-term effects of the war will dramatically double the number of Palestinian martyrs.
Doctors feared that disease, malnutrition, and lack of health care would continue for decades, with hospitals and the health sector destroyed, and medical workers being targeted.
According to surgeons, the total deaths from the war are expected to reach 186,000, a toll that is 4 times higher than the number of martyrs announced by the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
British-Palestinian plastic surgeon Professor Ghassan Abu Sitta, who has worked in Gaza hospitals since the start of the war, said malnutrition levels there were so severe that many children "will never recover".
He added that the suffering of Palestinians will continue due to infectious diseases and the continued destruction of health infrastructure.
Retired British surgeon Professor Nizam Mahmoud, who worked at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, said the number of "non-traumatic deaths" could be much higher than 186,000 due to the targeting of medical workers and the destruction of entire medical teams.
Of the six vascular surgeons covering the northern Gaza Strip, only one remains, he said. No cancer pathologist survived, stating that entire teams of medical specialists had been eliminated in Gaza and that the training required to replace them would take up to 10 years.
Scientific studies have indicated that people who suffer from childhood malnutrition, such as those who lived through World War II, are more likely to develop chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, later in life.
The UN has predicted that more than 60,000 children in Gaza will need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2025, with child deaths already recorded.
Added to these concerns is the spread of diseases as a result of the destruction of sanitation facilities, which contributes to the spread of diseases such as hepatitis, diarrhea paralysis, and respiratory diseases.
Doctors argue that the ability to control or eradicate infectious diseases will remain limited by the absence of basic infrastructure.
Professor Abu Sitta presented evidence to the British police and the International Criminal Court regarding the health catastrophe he witnessed while working in Gaza, noting that the health situation in the Strip will continue to deteriorate if these issues are not addressed urgently.
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