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Memories of war haunt Gaza’s doctors

The doctors in the Gaza Strip who worked during the late war recall the pain they went through when dealing with the victims, and speak of the psychological scars they bear in the war's aftermath.
Palestinian doctors wear face masks at the reception of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City December 6, 2009. H1N1 swine flu has finally reached the Gaza Strip, the health ministry said on Sunday, worrying Palestinians who had credited Israel's blockade of the territory with keeping the virus at bay. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA POLITICS HEALTH) - RTXRJIC
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — “It’s pure madness.” This was how the head of the reception department at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, Ayman al-Sahbani, described the situation experienced by the doctors who dealt with the thousands of wounded during the 50-day Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the health sector has suffered and was still suffering from numerous crises, including shortages of medicine and fuel and delayed salaries for doctors.

Sahbani is still haunted by death and torn bodies that he witnessed while working at the hospital. Every time he looks at his children, he remembers the children who died in his arms while he tried to save them.

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