Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan did not need many words to describe what she witnessed inside Gaza’s hospitals. The tears that overcame her while giving testimony spoke louder than any description, as she recalled the scenes of wounded civilians, mothers, and children she encountered while volunteering alongside medical teams in the Gaza Strip.

Among the most painful stories she shared was that of a mother who arrived at the hospital injured and in a state of severe shock. Unable to speak, she stared blankly into space. She had given birth only one week earlier, yet she did not know what had happened to her seven-day-old baby. The infant and his young brother remained trapped beneath the rubble of the hospital, while the mother struggled with her injuries and the agony of not knowing the fate of her two children.

Haj Hassan stressed that many of her Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are now unable to share what they witnessed firsthand — not because they lack testimony, but because they have either been killed, detained, or continue to face circumstances that prevent their voices from being heard.

She also noted that hundreds of healthcare workers in the sector have been detained in Israeli prisons, while some died during detention and their bodies continue to be withheld.

This testimony reflects one aspect of the immense human suffering endured by civilians and medical personnel in the Gaza Strip, where the impact of the Israeli assault extends far beyond physical destruction, affecting victims’ right to survive, their right to know the fate of their loved ones, and even their right to tell the world what they have lived through.