17 July 2025
Medic further observes targeted injuries among civilians visiting Israel’s militarised distribution sites in Gaza
A UK surgeon volunteering with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT) at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza has reported alarming levels of malnutrition, particularly among children, and evidence of targeted shootings of civilians at Israel’s militarised distribution points.
Professor Nick Maynard, a consultant gastrointestinal surgeon currently in Gaza for the third time since October 2023, described witnessing unprecedented levels of severe malnutrition that are directly contributing to preventable deaths among patients receiving surgery.
“The malnutrition I'm seeing here is indescribably bad. It’s much, much worse now than a year ago,” said Professor Maynard.
The surgeon reported that colleagues he worked with a year ago were barely recognisable, having lost 20-30kg due to severe food shortages. Critically, he noted that patients injured by Israeli military attacks are dying because malnutrition prevents proper healing.
“The repairs that we carry out fall to pieces, patients get terrible infections, and they die. I have had so many patients die because they can’t get enough food to recover, it’s distressing to see that and know that it is preventable and treatable,” Professor Maynard explained.
Babies in the hospital’s neonatal unit are particularly affected, with four recent infant deaths reported due to malnutrition.
“I saw a seven-month-old who looked like a newborn. The expression ‘skin and bones’ doesn't do it justice. We have almost no liquid or intravenous feeds – children are being given essentially 10% sugar water, which is not proper nutritional support. I had tears in my eyes seeing how unbelievably thin these children are. Another international doctor here, who tried to bring formula feed in, had it confiscated by Israeli authorities at the border,” added Professor Maynard.
A malnourished infant at Nasser Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Professor Maynard further reported a disturbing pattern of injuries and eyewitness reports from Israel’s militarised “aid” distribution points, indicating that young people seeking food for their families are being deliberately targeted.
On his experience of treating casualties from these sites, Professor Maynard said: “We have hundreds of trauma casualties coming in every day, it’s relentless. This is not only from Israeli military airstrikes and attacks, but we are also treating multiple gunshot wounds every day. These are mainly from the militarised distribution points, where starving civilians are going to try and get food but then report getting targeted by Israeli soldiers or quadcopters.”
“I have mostly been operating on teenage boys with gunshot wounds, often twelve or thirteen years old, who have gone to these, essentially deathtraps, to try and get food for their families. A twelve-year-old boy I was operating on died from his injuries on the operating table – he had been shot through the chest.”
“The medical teams here have also been seeing a clear pattern of people being shot in certain body parts on different days, such as the head, legs or genitals, which seems to indicate deliberate targeting.”
Professor Maynard concluded: “The enforced malnutrition and attacks on civilians we are witnessing will kill many more thousands of people if not stopped. The deliberate starvation of the Palestinian population in Gaza seems utterly unconscionable. Getting adequate food and aid into Gaza is essential. The fact the world is letting Israel get away with this is deeply upsetting, something must be done to stop this collective punishment of the population of Gaza.”
Nasser Hospital is the last major partially-functioning hospital in southern Gaza. It is depended on by hundreds of thousands of people. It is currently at breaking point and overwhelmed by mass casualties, and facing shortages of fuel, beds, medication, staff, and food. Last month, doctors feared an imminent invasion of the hospital by the Israeli military.
MAP demands the immediate lifting of Israel’s total blockade of Gaza and that unrestricted humanitarian access be granted, so that aid can be distributed in line with international humanitarian law and principles. Concurrently, the militarised distribution sites that are creating chaos and enabling targeting of civilians must be dismantled.
The UK must not be an ally to Israel’s atrocities including the systematic destruction of the healthcare system, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
Photo: Professor Nick Maynard in Nasser Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
