A Race for Breath: Midnight Emergency in Gaza

It was close to midnight when the call came.

A critically injured patient was struggling to breathe, and his condition was getting worse by the minute. He needed an emergency procedure to open a new airway through his neck. Waiting until morning was not an option.

Our entire medical team was called back. Doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians and administrative staff left their homes and families in the middle of the night and returned to the Cardiac Surgery and Specialized Hospital, operated by FAJR Global. Within minutes, the operating room was ready. Meanwhile, an ambulance carried the patient through Gaza’s darkened streets.

By the time he reached us, every breath was a struggle.

“The patient’s condition deteriorated suddenly. We had to call in the entire medical team and prepare the hospital for the emergency procedure he needed to survive.”

We worked quickly but carefully, knowing that every second counted. The procedure was completed successfully, without complications. Then came the moment we had been fighting for: air began flowing freely into his lungs again. His chest rose and fell, steady and calm. He was stable.

By dawn, the hospital had fallen quiet once more. The patient was resting, breathing peacefully, and alive.

For our team, that night showed what it takes to keep a specialized hospital running in Gaza: the people, the equipment and the readiness for emergencies that cannot wait until morning. Sometimes it is the difference between a last breath and the next one.

Learn about free surgery at FAJR’s Gaza hospital and FAJR’s hospital operations in Gaza.