PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Monica Johnston, a Portland nurse who works with burn victims, is currently working the frontlines in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
Over the weekend, Israel ordered new evacuations in the area and more than 100,000 people have already fled as troops prepare to expand their operations.
Johnston told KOIN 6 News conditions inside and outside the hospitals are getting worse by the day.
“Unfortunately the past few days, because of all the bombing, we’ve been getting less and less patients,” she said Monday. “Whether or not the routes to us are not open for them to get to us or most likely they’re not even making it to us, they’re perishing before they get to us.”
Her team is experiencing an extreme lack of crucial supplies and is hopeful a ceasefire will come soon — along with aid to Rafah’s hospitals.
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“Every time I walk to and from the hospital, through the hospital corridors, people just smile and light up. The thought that the world hasn’t forgotten them, that’s a difference,” she said. “The saddest thing to me, the thought that a white American girl is here and we’re safe because of that, breaks my heart. No life should be greater than any other.”
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David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
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