I start my shift at al-Shifa Hospital’s emergency ward at 7:30am, and I stay at the hospital for a full 24 hours. During that time, there is a constant stream of patients, from heart attacks to hypothermia to chronic diseases that have suddenly worsened due to the lack of treatment for traumatic injuries from Israeli attacks.

On a regular shift, there are four to six of us nurses, and up to three doctors – about a third of the staff that the emergency room had before the war. Like many of the other medical staff, I do not get paid for this work. The hospital cannot afford to compensate us; some colleagues occasionally receive symbolic remuneration from supporting organisations. No one has a fixed salary.

Out of 29 departments, just three are partially operational at al-Shifa. Most of the buildings in the once-sprawling medical complex are destroyed or burned. We work in three of them that have been partially restored.

Once I am done with my shift, I go back to my bombed-out home, which now has tarpaulins instead of walls. We have no heating, no electricity, and no running water, and we struggle to get adequate food because I bring no income back.

This is the reality that medical workers face across Gaza. It has been more than two months since the ceasefire came into effect, but Gaza’s hospitals still feel like........

© Al Jazeera