TAIPEI (TVBS News) — "While I was walking here moments ago, I became frightened by the sound of a van's door shut. It sounded very similar to a missile falling before detonation," Taiwanese doctor Hung Shang-kai told TVBS.
Hung, a member of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), arrived in Gaza in July for a six-month mission to assist in medical treatment. However, the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 cut his mission short. After 26 days, Hung finally made it through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.
Stationed at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Hung noted that it was one of the hardest-hit hospitals. The mission's primary task was to promote a new and first-ever injury examination system in the hospital.
"We have also tried to change some of their treatment guidelines so that after we leave, they can continue to provide first aid efficiently and stabilize the patients. These two directions were our main work before the war," Hung said.
According to Hung, life in Gaza before the war was relatively stable. "The whole atmosphere did not feel dangerous. There were some safety regulations, but it was relatively comfortable," he said. The doctor knew conflicts were possible during his stay but did not expect them to escalate to the current level.
"There are drills in the Gaza Strip every few days. Hamas or other armed groups will launch some rockets toward the Mediterranean Sea, so that is not something unexpected," Hung explained. "You'll hear one, two, or three rounds in your sleep, and that's usually the end. But that day, there were dozens or hundreds of rounds in a row. I woke up and realized that something was not right."
Initially, Hung wanted to stay in Gaza to assist in patient care amid a professional shortage. "But after the third and fourth days, the conflict escalated quickly," he said.
Hung recounted his evacuation, noting that he and his MSF colleagues moved to five places in 26 days, including outdoor locations with no shelters.
"Many of our friends and colleagues from MSF are still there, and a sense of survivor's guilt begins to appear," he said. "You feel uneasy in a safe environment where you can choose what to eat and have clean water."
Hung was among the first 300 people who were allowed to leave Gaza. At the Rafah border crossing, he saw a mother who brought her child, hoping someone could get it to a safe place. “It's very heartbreaking because you know it's impossible. It's tough for you to imagine what kind of pain it must be to make a mother do such a thing," Hung shared.
He also recalled a mother holding a premature baby in the corner, with no place and family to go to as her house was bombed. "You will think, as a human being, why is the baby born in such a world? Even if it is fortunate to survive in the end, it will still be in ruins, and its life could be full of hate and violence."
"What have we done that the world has become like this?" Hung asked.
Hung said that the people in Gaza don't fear a poor life, lack of water, or electricity, or the pain they face; they are afraid that the world will forget them.
However, MSF estimates that more than 20,000 injured people in Gaza are unable to receive medical assistance. The group strongly calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to allow humanitarian relief to arrive so that the stories belonging to the people in Gaza can continue.
