Sonora doctor: Why I went to Gaza, and why I’m going back

Gaza is often portrayed by western media as a third-world region and a land of conflict. After visiting Gaza, I see it differently.

Gaza is about resilience. Despite long years of siege, the medical field always hs come back strong, as much as their limited resources allow. Doctors and nurses go to work in spite of the overwhelming load, knowing they will not get a salary due to the economic siege.

Gaza is about generosity. Even if Gazans didn’t have much, they hastened to invite us to eat at their houses as a gesture of welcome.

Gaza is about love of life, the simple pleasure of walking as families along the seaside at night, sharing laughter and telling stories about their day.

Gaza is about beauty. Life, even in conflict, goes on. Gaza has delicious restaurants, fancy stores, and a magnificent beach. Gaza is a land full of history. Gaza has the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen over the sea.

Gaza is about gratitude. No matter how small the deed, it is always met with effusive and heartfelt thanks.

Gaza is about hope. Despite oppressive economic and political conditions, there is an inexhaustible spirit of hopefulness.

In June, 20 years after my last visit, I was able to visit Gaza with a group of 13 volunteers in a medical mission organized by the Palestinian American Medical Association and MedGlobal, two American charity organizations.

Nothing can prepare you for what it is like there. The poverty, the desperate state of people seeking medical care and the enormous workload of medical professionals whose job it is to treat them, are overwhelming.

A practicing oncologist in California, I visited Ar-Rantisi Hospital, the main cancer center in Gaza. There is a critical shortage of staff, equipment and medications. Its 608 children patients are treated by only two oncologists. There are 6,500 adult cancer patients in Ar-Rantisi and European hospitals, with only five adult oncologists. Radiation therapy, an integral part of cancer treatment, is not available. About 58% of cancer and palliative medications are lacking. In a normal day, an oncologist will see from 80 to 100 patients, averaging two minutes per patient. Each nurse is responsible for administering chemotherapy for eight to 10 patients at the same time. Many patients are suffering because they can’t get treatment or travel across the border for it. My volunteer colleagues witnessed the same shortages in Al Shifa and Nasser hospitals.

Electricity is limited to certain times during the day. One of our team was stuck in an elevator during a blackout. That seemed unnerving enough, until I spoke to a local surgeon who was in the middle of an eye surgery during a blackout and had to use the light on his phone to complete the operation.

During my week in Gaza, I saw people struggling to make life work in increasingly impossible circumstances. But what stands out in my mind, despite these circumstances, is the generosity and warmth the people of Gaza shared with us.

An old patient began praying for me when she found out why we were there. Her prayers were priceless. Gazan kids gathered around us as we walked in the market, to greet us and to practice their very few English words like “hi” or “welcome.” I still remember young Ali, who asked me to teach him how to say certain sentences to improve his English. I met many doctors, nurses, patients and regular people in Gaza who asked me to send a message to the world offering their hope, peace, and love.

I grew up in the West Bank city of Nablus. It’s about 60 miles from the Gaza Strip, but I only got to visit twice in the past, as travel is limited and inaccessible to most Palestinians. Approximately 5 million Palestinians live in the two territories; 2 million of them in the 141 square miles of the Gaza Strip, making it the third most densely populated land in the world.

I went to Gaza because they deserve, like any human, access to medical care. I went to help and teach, but I ended up learning as well. I’m going back because of the resilience, the love, the hope, the peace, the gratefulness, the beauty and the awesome people of Gaza.