The healthcare system in Gaza has completely collapsed, with most of the essential hospitals, ambulance stations, and ambulances completely destroyed. More than 95,000 people have been injured and remain in need of urgent medical care. In addition to those with immediate injuries, there are also patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, who require ongoing care.

How can these patients receive the follow-up care they so desperately need?

Hospitals are overwhelmed with the constant flood of new casualties. Yet many unsung heroes and international organizations have stepped in to meet the needs and help provide some oxygen in a situation that is suffocating so many.

Teams of doctors, nurses, and volunteers are moving amidst the tents of displaced people in the refugee camps. They check on the injured, monitor their wounds, ensure they follow their treatments, and even try to help them choose appropriate foods from the meager supplies available. Everyone involved is doing whatever they can to ease the suffering and provide some breathing room for those desperately in need.

Each of these medical workers has their own story and their own fears. They are all fighting for their own personal survival while helping others. Each is doing heroic work.

Rima, a nurse and a hero

As a nurse, Rima’s primary responsibility is visiting the tents of displaced and injured people, to monitor their wounds and to ensure they are taking their medications to prevent any life-threatening complications.

The harsh conditions of the camps lead to many wound infections, and recovery times are excruciatingly prolonged. Patients often require strong antibiotics that are no longer available, leaving Rima feeling powerless. Nevertheless, she continues her work with whatever limited resources she can find.

I speak to Rima almost every day, hoping to ease the immense pressure she’s under. I understand well from my own experiences that working in a war zone is not only physically dangerous but also emotionally exhausting. I often wonder what scares people the most about this job.

Rima tells me that every morning she heads to work under the constant hum of warplanes and nearby bombings. She also fears the diseases she comes into contact with and which are rampant in the camps, such as lice and hepatitis. These are spreading due to the lack of even basic hygiene supplies.

On top of these dangers, she constantly worries about her own family. Every day, she leaves home not knowing if her family will still be there when she returns. How can someone go out to save lives, while fearing they might lose the very people who give meaning to their own life? In this war, loss happens faster and is more constant than anyone can imagine. It’s as if we are living without oxygen, without a chance to catch our breath.

Rima describes what she sees in the tents, the nature of the injuries, and the condition of the people, which she sums up in one word: “catastrophic.”

False hope

When I ask her about someone who impacted her deeply, she tells me a story about a woman, the wife of a patient she was treating — a story she referred to as one of false hope.

The woman always smiled and stayed by her husband’s side as Rima treated his injured foot. This woman would talk about her hopes of returning home, seeing her children complete their education, and cooking meals for her family once the war ended.

One day when Rima visited them, the woman complained of chest pain. She thought it was just stress or fear. Rima suggested she get a breast exam to rule out anything serious. The test revealed that the woman had advanced breast cancer.

The woman’s spirit shattered, her smile faded, her face lost its glow, and she began to lose weight rapidly. This was just one of the hundreds of heartbreaking stories Rima has witnessed.

Moments of light

But Rima has moments of light as well. Seeing a patient recover under her care or bringing a smile to a patient’s face gives her the strength to keep going. Rima describes these moments as gentle hugging of her heart.

Rima and the other medical teams working to care for the injured face immense challenges. The lack of medicine and supplies often reduce the quality of care they can provide, forcing them to find creative solutions or to invent new ways of treating their patients. When they can’t find sterilizing materials, they use organic materials such as table vinegar to sterilize wounds. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.”

Healthcare workers in Gaza feel fear and exhaustion. Sometimes they cry or scream in frustration, but none of this stops them from continuing their vital work. These medical teams manage to endure intense physical and psychological pressure. Their mission is deeply humanitarian and their determination to continue despite the pressure comes very much from the heart.

This article is co-published with Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.