A BBC Arabic journalist reported on the distressing conditions inside an overwhelmed Gaza hospital that he said contained many of his friends and neighbours.
“Today has been one of the most difficult days in my career. I have seen things I can never unsee,” BBC’s Adnan Elbursh, a Gaza resident, said in the report from Al Shifa, Gaza City’s main hospital, posted late on Thursday.
“Bodies lay everywhere. The injured scream for help. You can never forget the sounds,” he reported.
Among the dead and wounded, his cameraman had spotted his friend Malik, Elbursh said.
“Malik has managed to survive, but his family have not,” Elbursh said over footage of his tearful colleague.
Elbursh said bodies were being placed outside the hospital on the ground after the morgue reached capacity.
“You never want to become the story. Yet, in my city, I feel helpless as the dead were given no dignity and the injured are left in pain,” he said.
Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, massacring hundreds of people and taking scores of hostages.
Israel declared war on Hamas in response. It has since laid siege to Gaza, which has a dense population of more than 2 million, bombarding the Palestinian enclave with airstrikes and preparing for a possible ground invasion. It has also shut off access to electricity, food, fuel and water in Gaza.
The conflict has already claimed over 2,800 lives on both sides. Thousands more are injured.
At least 10 journalists — nine Palestinians and one Israeli — are among the dead, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Several others are wounded or missing.
It has become increasingly difficult for journalists in Gaza to cover the situation on the ground, as fuel, electricity and internet access become more and more scarce.