“I can sense their (Palestinians) profound helplessness and uncertainty about the future; there is hope but they are unsure when it can become reality,” said Dr. Au Yiu Kai, who recently joined a humanitarian mission to provide emergency medical support at the European Gaza Hospital in Southern Gaza Strip for six weeks.

Out of his 25 humanitarian missions, it was the eighth time for Dr. Au working in a war zone. “The scale and impact of this artillery fire are more severe than previous conflicts.” Au shared that most severe burn victims were from vulnerable groups, particularly children and the elderly.

He witnessed the victims’ extreme hardship, including brothers who lost their parents in the war, with half of the 13-year-old’s body seriously burned and the five-year-old requiring a limb amputation. Another elderly woman suffered burns to over 30 per cent of her body.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is now approaching its fifth month. The intensified armed conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip has resulted in more than 28,000 deaths since October 2023. Over 75 per cent of the people in Gaza have been forced to leave their homes.

Scarcity of resources, ongoing warfare, civilians and hospitals constantly under attack, have made the conflict the worst of all. “The difficulty or the problem is because I see really a lot of innocent civilian people are damaged,” Dr. Au said.

"I think people in Hong Kong should be more concerned about issues outside Hong Kong, especially the Middle East. We have a lot of these conflicts going on. People are suffering. I hope that I can bring this message to people in Hong Kong,” Dr. Au added.