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American doctors stranded in Gaza beg the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel
By isabelle // 2024-05-21
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A group of American doctors who are currently stranded in Gaza are calling on the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel. The Israeli military’s closure of the border crossing with Egypt closed the only point of entry and exit for foreign aid workers in Gaza while cutting off medical supplies, water and food. The physicians recently spoke to the Washington Post to explain the horrors they’ve seen as Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues to take a terrible humanitarian toll. In particular, they described the suffering in Rafah, a city where more than a million displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering and that is expected to be Israel’s next target. Dr. Adam Hamawy, a reconstructive plastic surgeon, told the outlet that although the suffering in Gaza is not unlike that seen in war zones in a general sense, the difference in this case is that so many of the victims are children. Dr. Hamawy, who previously served as a combat trauma surgeon in Iraq, said: “Think of the injuries that you see in war, with blood everywhere, with shrapnel that’s supposed to kill soldiers and military personnel and take out tanks and bunkers. Now think about that going through a child’s body.” He also said that he thinks American politicians might view the situation differently if they saw firsthand the destruction Israel was causing in Gaza using American-made weapons. For example, he talked about performing amputations on children and helping severely burned children. He recounted how disheartened he was when a medical student showed him munitions used to shell his home that said, “Made in the USA, Lockheed Martin.” He and his colleagues participating in a volunteer medical mission there have been calling for a ceasefire. They are also calling for the U.S. to stop selling arms to Israel and to use its power to convince the Jewish State to reopen the crossing in Rafah that was seized by Israeli forces early in May. The doctor also described how IDF airstrikes have been shaking the walls of the hospital while they try to save patients, which is becoming increasingly challenging as they run out of every type of supply imaginable, as well as sterilization products and anesthesia. Another American doctor who is stranded in Gaza, Mahmoud Sabha, told the LA Times that they were “shocked by the cruelty” of Israel’s actions there. He also drew attention to the fact that in addition to preventing aid from reaching the people who need it most, blocking off the crossing in Rafah means that new aid workers cannot get in to replace the ones who are rotating out. This is compounded by the fact that many American doctors stuck in Gaza are starting to see their health deteriorate. Dr. Sabha also shared his concern about children dealing with burns and amputations, saying that if hospitals in Rafah are forced by Israeli troops to evacuate, these patients could die. “If the hospital were abandoned or their families were forced to evacuate, I have no clue how these patients would survive, especially those with amputations restricting their movement. I imagine the patients saying a final goodbye to their loved ones.”

Biden administration continues to supply Israel with arms despite concerns about civilian casualties

Illinois State representative Abdelnasser Rashid has been acting as a representative for trapped doctors to the federal government. He reiterated that these physicians are pushing for America to stop supporting genocide. “We’re doing both things: trying to make sure our government is pushing for basic protections for aid workers and, more globally, trying to stop our government from funding the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he said. Last week, the Biden administration proceeded with a $1 billion arms deal with Israel, even in the face of concerns that civilian casualties were mounting in Rafah. Sources for this article include: News.AntiWar.com WashingtonPost.com
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