In a grim reflection of the dire situation in the Gaza Strip, local health officials have been forced to use ice cream freezer trucks as temporary morgue to store the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes. The reasons for this unconventional choice? Moving the deceased to hospitals has become increasingly risky due to ongoing hostilities, and the local cemeteries are running out of burial space. On top of that, medical professionals are also running out of body bags.
Dr. Yasser Ali of the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah highlighted the challenges they are facing. He stated, "The hospital morgue can only take 10 bodies, so we have brought in ice cream freezers from the ice cream factories in order to store the huge numbers of martyrs."
Gaza hospitals are now using ice cream trucks to store the bodies of the dead due to the lack of sufficient capacity in the hospitals to accommodate large numbers of the dead.
— 0marjehad (@0marjehadd) October 14, 2023
Gaza is the only place in the world where ice cream trucks carry the dead.
Take a good look. pic.twitter.com/BN5lvdgFmd
In the wake of the intense Israeli bombardment, the Gaza authorities reported a death toll of at least 4,200 individuals at the time of writing, including a quarter of them being children. Additionally, more than 12,000 people have been injured. Hospitals are struggling to keep up with the increasing number of casualties and are facing shortages of vital medical supplies.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with the conflict's human toll and the strain on essential services becoming increasingly severe. The bombing of hospitals certainly do not help. Particularly, the recent Al Ahli Baptist Hospital bombing that massacred over 500 individuals, with a large number of them being children who previously took shelter in that venue.
The possibility of an Israeli ground invasion is looming, raising concerns about the potential for further civilian casualties.
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