The BMJ appeal 2025-26: Hospitals should be sanctuaries, not military targets

At 4 50 am on Saturday 3 May 2025, I was woken by the sound of bombs dropping nearby, helicopters overhead, and people screaming all around me. With every explosion, I feared for my life and the lives of everyone in the area. The bombing continued for about an hour. I felt completely powerless and overwhelmed by a mix of terror, sadness, and anger—terror for my life, sadness for the innocent people around me, and anger that a place meant for healing had become a target of destruction.As soon as it was quiet, I jumped in the boat to get to MSF’s hospital where I found our pharmacy on fire. Bullets and pieces of exploded weaponry were everywhere. All of the MSF team and local people were trying to extinguish the blaze with buckets of water. Our fuel tanks were located just a few metres away and we were desperate…