U.S. physicians told the United Nations that many Palestinian doctors who had worked in the Gaza Strip were either dead, displaced, or in prison.
During a recent press conference held at the U.N. headquarters in New York, four U.S. doctors who worked in Gaza for various periods over the last 15 months discussed their concerns and priorities in providing the critical care Gaza needs.
Drs. Thaer Ahmad met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Feroze Sied, and Mahmooda Sayed last week and spoke to the media about the future in Gaza.
All four men said they had never seen anything like what they experienced while working in Gaza.
Officials of the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations have warned repeatedly that the health system in Gaza is failing and lacks the resources necessary to cope with the overwhelming demand from injured and sick Palestinians.
The doctors say that with the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which allows aid to flow much more than in previous months and the medical evacuations to increase, there must be a plan to meet the immediate needs of Palestinians.
Sidhwa stated that rebuilding hospitals was a top priority.
In January, just before the latest ceasefire agreement was signed, the U.N. reported that only 16 out of 36 Gaza hospitals were still partially operational. The U.N. reported that most of the hospitals in Gaza are not equipped to deal with chronic or complex diseases.
Israel raided and targeted multiple hospitals in Gaza. Most recently, the Kamal Adwan Hospital, located in the north. The Israeli military claimed that the raids were part of anti-terrorism efforts aimed at Hamas.
A visual analysis of the condition of several hospitals shows that the infrastructure is severely damaged.
Sidhwa added that not only the infrastructure but also all machines and equipment must be replaced. He said that there was an extreme shortage of capacity.
Doctors said that evacuations should be the priority while this process is underway. Even those have many complications. Especially for children who, according to UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram, “disproportionately wear the scars from the war.”
Ahmad, who urged that the evacuated children be moved to the West Bank and Jerusalem, instead of Egypt or America, said many families were worried about not being allowed to return to Gaza.
Syed said Israel only allowed one adult to accompany every child evacuated from Gaza while many parents had more children that required their presence.
The doctors claim that these bureaucratic obstacles slow down the race against time.
Khan showed a photo of a badly burned foot on a young girl. The doctor thought that the burns were new, but they turned out to be months old. She might have needed an amputation.
Doctors said that many Gazan children and adults suffered wounds similar to the one of the girl months ago. This increases the risk of infection and long-term disability.
In October 2024, a senior U.N. official informed the Security Council that Gaza had the highest number of amputees in modern history.
They also talked about their struggles and the unimaginable suffering of their colleagues.
The four doctors have said that they had to overcome many obstacles, and they now fear reprisals for speaking out about what they claim are violations of international humanitarian law. Israel denies this.
Ahmad expressed what he said is a common belief among Palestinian doctors.
Ahmad was employed at the Kamal Adwan Hospital where Dr. Hussam Ab Safiya had been detained by Israel in December. Since then, he hasn’t been heard from. However, Israeli forces confirmed that he was in their custody. He is a suspected Hamas agent.
Zaher Al-Wahidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry under Hamas, stated in January that Safiya was one of 365 health workers held in Israeli jails.
“This was the hospital that he built. Those were the departments that he helped develop. And he refused to leave,” Ahmad said of the Kamal Adwan director.
He added, “He then watched the military destroy the hospital and get injured while doing so. He had to go up to the tank in his white coat and shake hands with the military who killed his son.”
As the U.N. panel concluded, Secretary-General António Guterres posted on X: “I was deeply moved by the testimonies and impressed by the dedication of 4 American doctors that have worked in Gaza. 2,500 children must be immediately evacuated with the guarantee that they will be able to return to their families and communities.”
