TOKYO: Japanese doctor Yuko Nakajima, who took part in aid efforts in the Gaza Strip, called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict Wednesday.

“Most of those who died or were seriously injured were women and children,” Nakajima of international medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said at a press conference in Tokyo.

Nakajima entered Gaza via Egypt on Nov. 14, roughly one month into the fighting. She worked as an emergency doctor and anesthesiologist at a hospital in the southern part of the region, while staying at a clinic and other locations.

The number of injured people who were rushed to the hospital increased sharply after fighting resumed following a brief pause on Dec. 1, she said, noting that she treated about 100 patients.

“Only a few are taken to the hospital,” she said of patients. “There are many others needing treatment.”

Nakajima said that even if she was able to save their lives she was unable to give sufficient additional treatment to patients and change their gauzes, due to a lack of medical supplies.

“I saw many children who survived but lost all the members of their families,” she said. “I thought what we were doing was hopeless.”

Nakajima returned to Japan on Friday night, after being forced to flee the hospital on Dec. 4 due to heavier fighting.

“The only way to get to the root of the problem is an immediate and sustainable ceasefire,” she said. “It is my mission to continue sharing my experience and calling for this.”

JIJI Press