Voices from Gaza: Inside the Red Cross Field Hospital, two years on
Amir Abu Musa was on his way to a wedding with his family when he was injured by shrapnel from a nearby explosion.
The 13-year-old, who has been displaced within Gaza, was transferred for treatment to the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, which after serving communities for 24 months has recently undergone a major upgrade.
“I can’t go to school anymore and I don’t get to see my friends. I hope to recover and go back to being healthy, even better than before,” he tells us from a ward at the hospital.
“We hope to live in safety, without rockets, without anything like that, to play with our friends, go to the mosque, go to school, and produce eggs, because these things aren’t available.”
The Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah was meant to be temporary. Designed to last six to 12 months, it has now been operating for two years – out of necessity.
Located in the far south of Gaza, with few alternative safe or sustainable healthcare solutions in sight, its existence remains essential for communities displaced by the conflict. It needs to continue.
The field hospital has facilitated more than 11,300 surgeries, 250,000 consultations, the delivery of more than 1,200 newborns, 19,200 physiotherapy sessions and at least 1,500 blood transfusions.
If that seems like a lot, it’s still not enough. Health needs outstrip the ability to meet them. More medical items and equipment need to be able to enter Gaza and made accessible to all communities.
On Thursday 7 May – after months of negotiations – 25 trucks carrying replacement parts and medical consumables for the hospital were able to enter Gaza, helping extend its lifespan for up to two years more.
The hospital is a partnership together with 16 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from around the world – with the Norwegian Red Cross playing a leading role – contributing staff, expertise and equipment.
“We’re here to fulfil a role, a fundamental role,” says Turkya Abu Krayyem, a psychologist with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) who works with patients and their families at the field hospital.
“As a specialist, I sometimes think about how [patients who are amputee children] will move forward with their futures. So, when we’re working with these children, we’re rehabilitating them psychologically, even though the physical injury is gone. But through psychology, we can continue the journey, and give some hope in life.”
Even now, months after the ceasefire, the sound of gunfire and explosions are still heard every day from the hospital. Across Gaza, health workers continue to put their lives at risk to help others.
“You could be in danger or get bombed, or you might get hurt in the fighting because, you know, these things happen. If there’s gunfire at the hospital, you could get injured,” Turkya tells us.
“My kids understand this, so every day they call when I’m at the hospital. ‘Mum, how are you? Are you okay?’ I tell them ‘I’m fine’. They don’t sleep until we see each other and hug each other, just to make sure we’re all okay. We’re used to difficulties and challenges… so we try as much as we can to focus on security and safety,” she says.
Dr Bhavna Chawla is a surgeon with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the field hospital. She’s been on six placements there since it opened in May 2024.
“This is a place which is very, very special to me. It is something that restored my faith in war surgery, in field hospitals and how much we can do with little, even if we are at the frontline,” Chawla says.
“We’ve been through times where we’ve had shrapnel and stray shots pass over the hospital, entering the tents where we work, entering the wards at times. But the teams have remained strong and constantly worked,” she says.
“Somehow when you are in the [operating theatre] everything else kind of becomes this white noise that you don’t pay attention to, when you just stay focused on what you are doing. And I don’t think you would have it any other way.”
The Red Cross Field Hospital is part of a collective effort, a system of hospitals and health facilities across Gaza that continue to serve communities despite immense pressure and scarce resources.
Under international humanitarian law, medical personnel, units and transports must be respected and protected. All feasible steps must be taken to support their work and ensure their safety.
The parties to the conflict have an obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
SHOTLIST
Length: 09:39
Location: Red Cross Field Hospital, Rafah, Gaza
Date Of Filming: May 2026
Copyright: ICRC access all
On Screen Credit: ICRC written or logo
ENDS
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For further information, please contact:
Pat Griffiths, ICRC in Jerusalem, for requests in English, +972 52-6019150, pgriffiths@icrc.org
Amani Al Naouq, ICRC in Gaza, for requests in Arabic, +972 56-281-5029, aalnaouq@icrc.org
Gilad Grossman, ICRC in Tel Aviv, for requests in Hebrew, +972 52-601-9123, ggrossman@icrc.org
SHOTLIST
Length: 09:39
Location: Red Cross Field Hospital, Rafah, Gaza
Date Of Filming: May 2026
Copyright: ICRC access all On Screen Credit: ICRC written or logo
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:45,566
*VARIOUS SHOTS OF AMIR BEING PREPPED FOR SURGERY IN THE WARD.
Soundbite: Amir Abu Musa, patient at Red Cross Field Hospital
00:00:45,566 --> 00:00:48,899
We were on our way to a wedding
at my uncle Abu Shadi’s house.
00:00:48,899 --> 00:00:50,666
I went out to buy
something from the store,
00:00:50,666 --> 00:00:53,366
and they bombed a car next to me.
00:00:53,366 --> 00:00:56,066
I was hit by shrapnel in my leg and back.
00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,033
My dad came to help me and took me
to the Red Cross hospital in an ambulance.
00:01:01,033 --> 00:01:04,900
They sent me to the Red Cross
hospital because my leg was injured by the rocket.
00:01:04,900 --> 00:01:08,166
They couldn't treat it at Nasser Hospital, so they referred me here.
00:01:08,166 --> 00:01:10,933
This was the only hospital capable of doing the procedure.
00:01:11,233 --> 00:01:14,866
They couldn't do it at Nasser because they lacked the equipment,
00:01:14,866 --> 00:01:18,900
so I was referred to the Red Cross hospital.
00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:25,200
I can’t go to school anymore and I don’t get to see my friends
00:01:25,333 --> 00:01:30,866
I hope to recover and go back to being healthy, even better than before,
00:01:30,866 --> 00:01:37,299
so I can go back to school, go to the mosque, and play with my friends.
00:01:38,333 --> 00:01:43,266
I was displaced in Al-Mawasi, and my mom
and siblings were displaced in
00:01:43,299 --> 00:01:45,400
Al-Namsawi. The house was hit.
00:01:45,500 --> 00:01:51,233
My older brother was killed, and my mom
and brother were taken to Nasser Hospital.
00:01:51,766 --> 00:01:54,133
Thank God, the nurses were really good;
00:01:54,133 --> 00:01:58,166
they took care of us and
provided the necessary treatments.
00:01:58,166 --> 00:01:59,966
Everything was fine, thank God.
00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:06,933
They treated the wound well, and we lacked nothing.
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,866
Since we were injured in the bones,
00:02:08,933 --> 00:02:13,933
we have to eat calcium, eggs, milk, and things like that,
00:02:13,933 --> 00:02:15,933
and these aren’t available in Gaza.
00:02:15,933 --> 00:02:20,433
And even if they enter through the crossings,
we don’t have enough money to buy them
00:02:20,433 --> 00:02:22,133
and the prices are high.
00:02:22,433 --> 00:02:26,000
We hope to live in safety, without
rockets, without anything like that,
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,833
to play with our friends, go to the mosque,
go to school,
00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:35,233
and raise birds, because these
things aren’t available.
00:02:35,666 --> 00:03:17,666
*VARIOUS SHOTS OF AMIR BEING TAKEN FOR SURGERY
Soundbite: Dr Bhavna Chawla, ICRC Surgeon
00:03:17,733 --> 00:03:20,633
This is a place which is very, very special to me.
00:03:20,633 --> 00:03:25,766
It is something that restored my faith in war surgery,
00:03:25,766 --> 00:03:30,900
in field hospitals, and how much we can do with little.
00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:34,866
even if we are at the front line.
00:03:35,566 --> 00:03:38,266
In the beginning, it feels like when the population moved
00:03:38,266 --> 00:03:41,266
here, the field hospital was set
00:03:41,266 --> 00:03:44,533
with the idea to cater to the displaced population
00:03:44,533 --> 00:03:46,099
in this part of the Strip.
00:03:46,833 --> 00:03:49,466
But very quickly, we realized that it's
00:03:49,500 --> 00:03:51,766
becoming a hospital at the front line,
00:03:52,133 --> 00:03:55,300
And very soon, I think, within the first three weeks of this hospital
00:03:55,333 --> 00:03:59,000
becoming completely functional, we started seeing weapon wounded.
00:03:59,166 --> 00:04:03,400
And the nature of this hospital turned into a first line trauma hospital.
00:04:03,566 --> 00:04:07,400
We’ve been through times where we've had shrapnel and stray shots
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:12,166
pass over the hospital, entering the tents where we work,
00:04:12,166 --> 00:04:14,166
entering the wards at times.
00:04:15,199 --> 00:04:18,800
But the teams have remained strong and constantly worked
00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,899
somehow, when you are in the OT (operating theatre),
00:04:20,899 --> 00:04:25,066
everything else kind of becomes this white noise
00:04:25,066 --> 00:04:28,833
that you don't pay attention to when you just stay focused on what you are doing.
00:04:28,833 --> 00:04:30,833
And I don't think you would have it any other way.
00:04:31,066 --> 00:05:32,366
*VARIOUS SHOTS OF DR. BHAVNA WORKING IN THE HOSPITAL
Soundbite: Turkya Abu Krayyem, psychologist with the Palestine Red Crescent Society
00:05:32,533 --> 00:05:35,866
Before, while the war was still going on,
00:05:35,866 --> 00:05:40,266
people didn’t come in for psychological support,
00:05:40,366 --> 00:05:47,866
But we found that after the suspension of the fighting – not that it actually ended
00:05:47,866 --> 00:05:50,333
the need for our services increased.
00:05:50,333 --> 00:05:53,866
We are currently working on cases 24/7
00:05:53,866 --> 00:05:57,033
and we’re constantly handling cases
00:05:57,033 --> 00:06:02,866
sometimes up to 70 or 80 a day. We’re operating around the clock.
00:06:02,866 --> 00:06:08,100
We’ve found that as a result of the trauma, people have become aware of their need
00:06:08,100 --> 00:06:12,666
for psychological support because their lives have been disrupted, their circumstances have changed.
00:06:13,033 --> 00:06:18,166
People don’t realize that these symptoms, which result from trauma, are normal.
00:06:18,166 --> 00:06:20,166
But once they become aware of this,
00:06:20,166 --> 00:06:25,199
they realize that what they’re going through is a result of the war
00:06:25,199 --> 00:06:26,633
and not their own fault.
00:06:26,633 --> 00:06:31,600
So, they automatically know how to take care of themselves,
and we teach them calming techniques.
00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,333
We used to focus on saving lives,
00:06:35,333 --> 00:06:39,000
but now we’re shifting our focus to psychological support.
00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,666
We conduct individual sessions, we conduct group sessions
00:06:41,666 --> 00:06:45,100
so that everyone supports and helps one another
00:06:45,100 --> 00:06:47,733
and can solve problems together.
00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,566
What makes us realize that we play a major role here at the hospital
00:06:51,566 --> 00:06:55,533
is that sometimes patients come in just for psychological support.
00:06:55,533 --> 00:06:58,133
They are not here to receive medical treatment,
00:06:58,133 --> 00:07:01,199
they just attend sessions for psychological support and then leave.
00:07:01,199 --> 00:07:04,433
So, we’re here to fulfill a role
00:07:04,433 --> 00:07:09,566
a fundamental role due to the accumulated events and traumas the Palestinian people are going through,
00:07:09,566 --> 00:07:15,633
especially the amputee children currently in hospitals.
00:07:15,633 --> 00:07:20,866
As a specialist, I sometimes think about how they’ll move forward with their futures,
00:07:20,866 --> 00:07:23,733
so when we work with these children,
00:07:23,733 --> 00:07:28,600
we’re rehabilitating them psychologically, even though the physical injury is gone.
00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:33,833
But through psychology, we can continue the journey and give some hope in life.
00:07:34,133 --> 00:07:37,733
In many cases, you could be in danger or get bombed,
00:07:37,733 --> 00:07:43,033
or you might get hurt in the fighting because,
00:07:43,033 --> 00:07:49,433
you know, these things happen. If there’s gunfire at the hospital, you could get injured.
00:07:49,433 --> 00:07:56,733
My kids understand this, so every day they call when I’m at the hospital.
00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,166
‘Mum, how are you? Are you okay?’
00:07:59,199 --> 00:08:00,666
I tell them ‘I’m fine’.
00:08:00,666 --> 00:08:05,333
They don’t sleep until we see each other and hug each other, just to make sure we’re all okay.
00:08:05,333 --> 00:08:08,600
We’re used to difficulties and challenges as a Palestinian society,
00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:15,966
so we try as much as we can to focus on security and safety. As an employee,
00:08:15,966 --> 00:08:18,233
I reassure them that I’m fine and not to worry
00:08:18,233 --> 00:08:22,699
and that there are designated safe areas at the hospital.
00:08:22,699 --> 00:08:26,833
This eases the pressure, both for me and for them.
00:08:26,833 --> 00:09:30,266
*VARIOUS SHOTS OF TURKYA AT WORK IN THE HOSPITAL
00:09:30,266 --> 00:09:39,200
*VARIOUS SHOTS OF THE HOSPITAL
