Doctors in Gaza describe worst wounds 'they've ever seen'

International doctors and nurses who treated Palestinians in Gazan hospitals described wounds more severe than civilians had suffered in other modern conflicts, according to a peer-reviewed study published Friday.

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For the research in the leading medical journal BMJ, 78 humanitarian healthcare workers mostly from Europe and North America answered survey questions describing the severity, location and cause of the wounds they saw during their stints in the Gaza Strip.

The British-led team of researchers said it is the most comprehensive data available about Palestinian injuries during Israel's nearly two-year offensive against Hamas, given that the territory's health facilities have been devastated and international access is heavily restricted.

Two thirds of the healthcare workers had previously deployed to other conflict zones, the vast majority of whom said the injuries in Gaza were "the worst thing that they've ever seen", the study's lead author, British surgeon Omar El-Taji, told AFP.

Up to three months after they returned from Gaza, the doctors and nurses -- aided by log books and shift records -- filled out a survey about the injuries they saw during deployments lasting from two to 12 weeks between August 2024 and February 2025.