Rafah medical system plunges into crisis following Israeli airstrike

The medical system in Gaza's southernmost city Rafah has plunged into a severe crisis following the Israeli airstrikes on Monday, leaving only one hospital struggling to operate amidst a shortage of medical supplies.

Israel's military said on Monday night that it was carrying out large-scale airstrikes in Rafah.

The airstrikes have not only forced numerous local residents to flee and severely hampered the transportation of humanitarian aid, but also resulted in the closure of Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, one of Rafah's two major hospitals.

Consequently, the Kuwait Hospital currently becomes the sole medical institution in the city with a population of more than one million. However, with only dozens of sickbeds, the hospital is facing significant challenges in handling the overwhelming influx of injuries.

"The medical condition in Rafah is extremely terrible now. We used to receive treatment at Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, the only public hospital in Rafah, but now Rafah has no other hospital except the Kuwait Hospital, which is a very small private hospital. We have to wait several hours to see a doctor, but most of the time, we are unable to receive medical treatment. The medical staff are also exhausted and unable to provide treatment in the best possible manner as they did before," said Yusuf, a patient.

"The Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, which is the nearest hospital to us, ceased operation after the beginning of the Israeli military action. Now we have no choice but to seek medical treatment at Kuwait Hospital. There are always long queues, and it is hard to obtain all the medicines we need. Quite frequently, we could only get just one out of the four to five types of medicines that we require," said Mohammed, another patient.

Suhaib Al-Hams, director of the Kuwait Hospital, noted on Thursday that the hospital's fuel reserves could only sustain its operation for a maximum of three days, saying that the power supply system of the hospital is likely to be paralyzed thereafter.

"Due to the closure of Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, we are unable to cope with such a large number of casualties and critically ill patients. There is a severe shortage of healthcare professionals. Currently, apart from Kuwait Hospital, there is no institution truly responsible for providing medical service in Rafah. We appeal to everyone in the world to not abandon Gaza and leave it to face this crisis alone. What is urgently needed now is an immediate cessation of conflict, putting an end to the deaths and casualties among the Palestinian people," said Suhaib Al-Hams.

Israel's army announced on Wednesday that it was continuing its ground assault on Rafah, reporting approximately 30 casualties since the offensive began on Monday night.

According to an army statement, the 30 casualties were militants, while Gaza health officials reported about 35 deaths, including a four-month-old baby.

Rafah medical system plunges into crisis following Israeli airstrike

As Asia's largest fresh-cut flower market, the one in Dounan of Kunming City of southwest China's Yunnan Province has lured crowds of tourists across China.

May is a peak period for buying flowers, as it coincides with Mother's Day and May 20, also known as "520" in Chinese, which is an unofficial Valentine's Day in China.

The Dounan Flower Market is crowded both in the day or at night. Recently, the daily visitor count is about 10,000 people.

"I like flowers and I am considering opening a flower shop. So, I'd like to take a look here first," said a visitor from east China's Shandong Province.

"The sales are quite good. This type of rose bouquet has 20 stems, and the daily sales are over 2,000 bouquets," said a merchant at the Dounan Flower Market.

Among the flower stalls, there are many livestreamers who promote and sell the flowers online. They opened a new channel for flower sales.

"I used to livestream in a room. Later, after repeatedly talking with my clients, I think that the quality and price could be seen more directly in this way of live broadcasting. I have sold around 500 bouquets today, which should be around 10,000 roses," said a livestreamer.

"The Dounan Flower Market sells 117 kinds of flowers, more than 1,600 varieties every day. The average daily transaction volume of fresh flowers recently is about 40 million stems," said Wang Jinyiling, assistant to the president of Yunnan Dounan Flower Industry Group.

Flourishing flower industry boosts tourism in China's Yunnan