British surgeon working in Gaza says it is now 'a slaughterhouse'

A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has compared the region to a "slaughterhouse" because of the daily bombardment from Israeli forces.

Dr Tom Potokar, who is based at the European Hospital near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, offered his assessment of Israel's military offensive after Palestinian health officials reported at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed their troops have begun "extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip".

In a video filmed exclusively for Sky News, Dr Potokar said it was "another day of devastation here in Gaza", adding: "The stories coming from the north... absolutely horrific... particularly around the Indonesian Hospital."

"I mean, it's difficult to describe in words what's happening here... [with the] constant sound of bombardment jets overhead.

"If Cambodia was the killing fields, then Gaza now is the slaughterhouse."

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.

In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck "over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations" over the past week.

Dr Potokar described the impact on those on the ground, saying: "We've been operating all morning so far and [treating] awful explosive injuries... [including] one young woman with leg fracture and shoulder fracture and a large wound on her buttock, who came in yesterday and is not yet aware that everyone in our family was killed in the onslaught."

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