For almost a week, doctor Erik Fosse and his five Norwegian colleagues have been at the Gaza European Hospital and helped their Palestinian colleagues save lives.
– They work on. They are all seasoned healthcare professionals. Five out of six of them know Gaza well, but this is one of the worst they have been involved in. They have never seen anything like it, says Kristil Haraldstad, country manager for Palestine in Norwac, who is now in Egypt.
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To make a long story short
- Erik Fosse and five Norwegian colleagues have worked at the Gaza European Hospital for a week under terrible conditions.
- The hospital, which normally has room for 200 patients, now houses 800, in addition to 25,000 people seeking refuge.
- Many patients are children and teenagers with serious injuries from explosives.
- Fosse and his team perform life-saving surgery, including amputations.
- The staff are exhausted and scared, but greatly appreciate the international team.
- Over 24,285 Palestinians have been killed and over 61,000 injured since 7 October.
Sea view
– Many children and young people
For the past three days, there have been hardly any signs of life from the Norwegians in Gaza, due to the fact that both the internet and telephone lines were down.
On Tuesday afternoon, a text message arrived from Fosse to Dagbladet.
THE GAZA DOCTOR: Once again, the doctor Erik Fosse is in Gaza to help when the war is at its worst. But he has never experienced fiercer battles. Photo: Private Show more
– The team works every day at the hospital. We have both acute injuries and patients who came in a few days ago and who need reoperations. There is a lot to do, says Fosse.
The hospital normally has beds for 200 patients. There are now 800 patients there, in addition to around 25,000 people who have sought refuge inside and outside the hospital.
– Many of the patients have been here for several months, because these are war injuries that need repeated operations. Most of what we do is wound revisions and amputations: life-saving surgery, says Fosse.
Waterfall in Gaza: – Absolutely heartbreaking
He is overwhelmed by all the children and teenagers who keep coming into the hospital.
– We treat patients of all ages, but very many are children or teenagers who have been hit by shrapnel from explosives. They therefore have sores all over their bodies. Often they have had one or both legs amputated. Or an arm. It is quite extensive work to get the living through this, he says.
– Very tired and scared
Fosse further explains that the hospital’s staff now consists of those who work there permanently. In addition, there are many of the doctors and nurses who were evacuated from the hospitals in the north, and who have already been through combat actions there.
SOMETHING TO PLAY WITH? A Palestinian girl looks for anything she can use in the ruins of a destroyed house in the southern city of Khan Younis. The war has now lasted over a hundred days. Photo: AFP / NTB Show more
– The staff at the hospital are very tired. They are also afraid. It varies from day to day how many manage to get to work because there are battles around the hospital and it is dangerous for them to travel here, says Fosse.
The Palestinian health workers “enormously appreciate the international teams that are here”, according to Fosse.
– We are here together with a team from the International Red Cross Movement, with whom we work very well, says Fosse.
This must end
New figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday show that over 24,285 Palestinians have been killed and over 61,000 wounded in Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip since 7 October. At least 10,600 children, 7,200 women and 1,049 elderly people have been killed so far, it said. At least 61,154 people have been injured in the attacks.
This is how Dagbladet covers the war
Does Dagbladet take a position in the conflict between Hamas and Israel?
No. Journalism in Dagbladet must be objective. We strive for balanced coverage in the news space where we try to present several sides of the case, whether it is from Israel, Gaza or the West Bank. Dagbladet also covers the case in opinion space. Avisa’s view is expressed in leadership positions. The political editor is responsible for this. We also print expressions of opinion in the comment and chronicle space. These are clearly marked, and express the sender’s personal opinion. Dagbladet’s view on opinion does not affect our news coverage.
How does Dagbladet work with presence?
Physical presence with its own reporters in a war situation is very important for Dagbladet. This gives us the opportunity to speak to first-hand sources, and convey what we see to readers without intermediaries. So far in the conflict, Dagbladet has reported with its own reporters from a number of places in Israel and the West Bank. Why is Dagbladet not in Gaza? Lack of presence in Gaza is a challenge for both Norwegian and international media. The border is controlled by the authorities on the Israeli and Egyptian sides. They have very strict restrictions on entry and exit.
How do you then work to bring out stories from Gaza?
Since the outbreak of the war, Dagbladet has worked actively to give readers as broad a picture as possible of the case. Since we are not present in Gaza ourselves, we have worked with local journalists and spoken to a number of people who stay in Gaza, including a number of Norwegians. We also get pictures, video and information from the international news agencies, some of which have journalists on site. In addition, information comes from, for example, authorities, organizations and private individuals in social media and directly to the media.
How does Dagbladet work with the coverage of the war?
In covering the war, Dagbladet uses a wide range of sources and methods. Providing our readers with correct information is our most important priority. Physical presence in the areas, interviews with first-hand sources and the use of credible sources are some of the things we work towards in the coverage of this and other cases.
Dagbladet’s employees are also well trained to verify and fact-check content from, among other things, social media.
Dagbladet must be open about where the information comes from. We must also write clearly if we pass on information that we consider to be relevant, but where we cannot confirm all information. When Dagbladet makes a mistake, we must mark this clearly in the article and enter it in the correction log.
Why do you show such strong images from the war?
Strong images from conflicts may be necessary to document the facts and what is happening. We believe it is important to show the consequences of the war, for example how it affects civilians. Images are important for our understanding of what is happening. It is also the media’s job to convey what actually happens in a war situation, even if for some it will be perceived as too strong.
Dagbladet is aware of what we publish and why. We don’t want to publish strong impressions just for the sake of showing it. There must be an editorial reason behind it, and we take necessary press ethical considerations, for example towards next of kin. We can have a stronger impression inside an article than on the front page of Dagbladet. There we like to mark an article with a warning. This is to show consideration for readers who do not want these impressions.
Sea view
Outside the hospital, there are intense battles around the clock, Dagbladet is told from Norwac.
– They are fine and really feel that they are in the right place at the right time. But it’s all very strong, says Haraldstad.
HUNGRY: Palestinian children queue for food in the southern city of Rafah. The World Health Organization and the UN warn that Gaza’s population is starving – and that they fear that diseases such as cholera will spread. Photo: Reuters / NTB Show more
She is in Egypt and is working on bringing down a new health team, which will take over from Erik Fosse and the others when they are finished in about a week.
– We will have teams inside Gaza from now on, says Haraldstad and emphasizes that Norwac can do the job due to funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2024-01-16 17:06:46
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