[Introduction Snippets]

Presenter: Khan Younis has been the focus of some of the fiercest attacks in recent days. Israeli air strikes and ground operations have closed in on the city, forcing thousands to flee and leaving many dead and wounded. The Nasser hospital is the largest in the city. It is also one of the only hospitals still functioning. A team of British doctors and surgeons is now working there. They are specialists in plastic surgery and orthopedics. Our team in Gaza spent a few days filming with them this week. They’re also sending out regular video updates.

Dr. Victoria Rose: I’m standing on the balcony of the EMT accommodation and a really large bomb has just gone off, not far to the east of us. The ambulances here have just readied themselves to go off and pick up who knows how many casualties. So I think we’ve got a lot of work heading our way.

Dr. Victoria Rose: This is the Burns unit at Nasser. We’re just walking through. Used to be the Burns unit at Nasser.

Presenter: Part of the Nasser hospital has been hit and damaged by Israeli missiles. This was the Burns unit, one of the busiest parts of the hospital. It is out of action now.

Dr. Victoria Rose: [Shows bombing damage]. But that’s the damage. Yeah, I’m not going to go too far into this, but wow. That’s amazing.

Presenter: This baby has painful burns on her chest and back. Another lies silent on the stretcher, not moving, and only able to see out of one eye. She has shrapnel wounds to her face and body. Children are suffering the worst.

British Doctor: So she’s had a burn?
Unknown Answerer: Yes.

Presenter: The lack of food and water has made them weak and more vulnerable to their injuries. The operating theaters can sometimes feel like a bubble of quiet and calm from the war outside, but the patients are almost all suffering blast wounds. But in the hospital’s emergency unit, it’s chaos. Many of the survivors will need to be transferred upstairs into the care of the British doctors for reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Tom Potokar: So this is a young man that came in yesterday into the emergency department with his brother after an explosive blast.

Presenter: Dr. Tom Potokar was working in the European Hospital near Khan Younis before they were evacuated in a hurry last week. Air strikes were hitting the compound. He is now in the Amal hospital close to Nasser, working again and prepping for surgery.
[Shows operation]
The woman on the operating table is badly injured. Her husband and children were all killed. She doesn’t know yet.

Dr. Tom Potokar: What can you say? I mean, it’s horrific. It’s, Gaza has become a slaughterhouse. That’s what it is. It’s a slaughterhouse.

Question: Your message to the world, Doctor?

Dr. Tom Potokar: Do something. Stop talking and do something.

Presenter: Tom Potokar was last in Gaza shortly after October 7th. Returning after 19 months of war, he’s seen a dramatic change in Gaza.

Dr. Tom Potokar: The difference this time is because of the blockade, there’s so little stuff getting in. There’s no food getting in, so people are starving. There’s very little medical supplies coming in. But also the other very noticeable thing is the massive extent of destruction. I mean, Khan Younis looks like Stalingrad.

[Shows living quarters].

Dr. Tom Potokar: So this is our living quarters.

Presenter: This is where they sleep and relax during the few hours that they have off shift. Camp beds together in one room. Food is a single ready meal a day of just 400 calories. They sometimes have to reuse tea bags. A cup of good coffee is a small luxury. The blockade affects everyone. By Monday evening, the IDF-declared combat zone was only a few streets from Nasser hospital. A drone flew low overhead.

Dr. Victoria Rose: An evacuation order for most of Khan Younis went out today, which meant that we lost several members of the team. My anesthetic nurse and Graeme’s Orthopoedic colleague had to leave us mid case to go and to evacuate their families to an area of safety.

Dr. Graeme Groom: I think it’s quite hard to believe, these are people just like you and me. They have their homes, their families, they live normal lives, many are very impressive people. And without notice, they have to pick up a grab bag and leave, and they sleep on the streets. Look for food, look for water, living shelter, but turn up for work each day.

Presenter: With the Israeli military operation getting closer, the doctors are also ready to evacuate at short notice.

Dr. Victoria Rose: The team have put my instruments in one position for me, so that if we do get evacuated I can grab them. So they’ve overwrapped a tray of single-item plastics. You can see that they’ve put a bag out there for me with my name on it. But this is the kit that they think I should be taking with me if we do get evacuated.

Presenter: Nasser Hospital has the last remaining ICU department in the whole of southern Gaza. If it has to be evacuated, then the remaining temporary field hospitals would likely be overwhelmed and unable to cope.