Ahmed el-Rabii spent years treating Palestinians wounded during wars and clashes in the Gaza Strip. Now that the coronavirus has reached the Gaza strip, the 37-year-old physician finds himself in the unfamiliar role of patient. El-Rabii is the first Gaza doctor diagnosed with COVID-19 and is among dozens of health-care workers infected during the local outbreak, which was detected in August. The spread among front-line workers has further strained an already overburdened health-care system. Speaking from one of the two hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 cases, el-Rabii said the threat in many ways is more terrifying than war. During the fighting, “you only fear being hit by shrapnel by mistake,” he said. “But with the virus, you constantly worry because you do not know how or from where it will hit you: from a patient, from your colleague, or by touching the elevator or any other surface.” These days there are almost 2900 COVID-19 patients in Gaza hospitals, deaths have reached 38 and are expected to rise during winter.