St. Philip’s Church, formerly a holy place for Gaza’s small Christian population, has since been converted into a hospital after nine months of Israel’s military assault on Palestine, which has destroyed the healthcare infrastructure.
Beds line the pale stone walls under a vaulted sky as physicians care for patients who are unable to find a place at the Anglican-run Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, which, like Gaza’s other remaining medical institutions, is overburdened, Reuters reported.
St. Philip’s is housed inside the same complex as the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, in South Gaza.
Priest Munther Isaac said: “The space designated for prayers was converted into a clinic due to the lack of available places. Today, our priority is to save the life of every human being that we can.”
A man stood beside one of the beds, fanning an elderly patient with an oxygen mask over his mouth.
“In this church, which is no longer a house of worship but has been turned into a nursing facility, we are getting some basic medical services,” said Abu Mohammed Abu Samra, who was accompanying his ailing mother to St. Philip’s.
While there is a sizable Palestinian Christian population in the West Bank, the Christian community is relatively small in Gaza, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2006.
Israel’s nine-month bombardment on Gaza as well as its ground invasion has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and wounding over 80,000, Palestinian health officials claim.
The large number of injuries from the violent outburst has added to the epidemic of sickness and starvation among the 90% of Gaza inhabitants who, according to the United Nations, have also been rendered homeless, putting enormous strain on the enclave’s health care infrastructure.
Following the military assault several hospitals and other health institutions are inoperable, resulting in significant shortages of necessary medical supplies, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Israel disputes that it purposely targets health institutions or prevents medical supplies from entering Gaza.