Doctors returning from Jordanian field hospitals in Gaza say ‘grateful’ to join noble mission

AMMAN — Military doctors who returned from Gaza have spoken of the efforts the Jordanian field hospitals in the war-torn Strip exert in alleviating the suffering of the Gazan people and healing their wounds. 

Joining rotating medical teams at Jordan’s field hospitals in central and southern Gaza Strip, the doctors from the Royal Medical Services explained that the two facilities, established in 2009 and 2023, provide a wide range of medical services to people in Gaza, varying from minor cases to sophisticated surgeries.    

Lt. Col. Doctor Mohammad Jum’ah worked at the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip, which was established on November 28, 2023, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army. 

Jum’ah described his 108-day duty at the hospital as being part of Jordanian commitment to assist the brotherly Palestinians and alleviate their suffering, amid the ongoing Israeli war on the besieged Strip. 

“During the first 108 days of the hospital’s operation, the facility received 40,000 patients, and performed 440 major operations and 9,000 minor operations,” Jum’ah said.

“The hospital offered a wide range of medical specialities, including neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, general surgery, urology, paediatric surgery, paediatric internal medicine, haematology, orthopaedic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, internal medicine, emergency medicine and trauma care.”

He explained that the hospital infrastructure consisted of seven trailers housing operating theatres, medical wards, a laboratory, radiology facilities, a pharmacy, a dental clinic, an admissions area and a Sterilisation unit.

Jum’ah recalled a life-saving surgery of a woman who suffered from shrapnel in the brain after a complex surgery in the hospital. 

He said that the mission was part of Jordan’s humanitarian and medical efforts to provide high-quality care to those in need in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

“We were there to be by our brothers’ side in times like these,” said director of the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza’s Tel Al Hawa neighbourhood, Capt. Moath Qawaqnah.  

“We knew that our presence made a difference, and we were honoured to be able to provide the basic human needs that were lacking, Qawaqnah said. 

Qawaqnah led a team of 60 individuals, including seven doctors, on a 100-day mission to Gaza starting on January 7, to deliver medical care and essential humanitarian aid to the local population.

The hospital, located in the heart of the Gaza Strip, served the central and northern areas, providing medical care and basic necessities such as food, water and formula milk.

The team, during the period from January 7 to April 24, performed 300 major surgical operations, including 250 bone surgeries and conducted nearly 10,000 small operations, he said.

The doctor said that the field hospital receives between 300 to 400 cases daily.

He recounted receiving three children who were brought to the hospital by their parents after eating poisonous plants. “Their parents had to carry them for two hours to seek medical attention.”

Qawaqnah expressed gratitude for the chance to serve in Gaza, emphasising that the mission was a humanitarian endeavour aimed at easing the suffering of the Gazan people, amidst the ongoing Israeli war on their coastal enclave. 

“The hospital’s work was in line with Jordan’s noble humanitarian and medical mission to provide the highest quality of care to brotherly Palestinians.”