Gaza is under near-constant military attack, but medical supplies to treat the injured and dying are scarce to nonexistent. Those who were receiving medical care before the conflict began for pregnancy or chronic illness are also suffering. Bombed out hospitals and clinics, lack of electricity and clean water, and food scarcity are making every facet of life in Gaza a living hell.
To examine the particular impact the Israel-Hamas war has had on doctors and nurses, four Siena biology majors – Thea Akhrass ’24, Dani Ghanem ‘24, Raiyaan Shaik ’24 and Safiya Alvi’ 25 – all of whom are in the Siena-Albany Medical College Science and Humanities Program, organized the February 8 presentation “Health Care in War Time.” The team used data and information from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Red Crescent to show the shocking death and injury tolls on civilians, compounded by disease and infections from dirty water and limited sanitary facilities, and the overall specter of starvation.
“Each number, each statistic that we share here represents an individual life,” said Shaik.
They also showed a FaceTime interview with Gazan OB-GYN Haya Hijazi, M.D., recorded ahead of time since the very spotty internet in Gaza and the seven-hour time difference could not guarantee a live connection. She shared her first-hand accounts of treating patients in a war zone.
According to international law, attacks on health care providers are a “deliberate violation” of medical neutrality: protection of medical personnel, patients, facilities and transport from attack or interference; unhindered access to medical care and treatment; humane treatment of all civilians, and the nondiscriminatory treatment of the sick and injured.
Photos, cell phone videos and news footage brought home the horror of recovering the injured and dead from collapsed buildings, and trying to provide treatment in debris-strewn rooms with next to no supplies, while the sounds of exploding bombs reverberate in the air.
"I hope people realized how the serious public health concerns in Gaza are directly intertwined with public policy and particular war operations,” said Akhrass. “Indiscriminate attacks on even just one health facility devastates hundreds of thousands of lives that could have been saved there. The numbers are staggering, and we need not ignore the immense, preventable suffering being reported to our eyes and ears.”
According to UNICEF, the population of Gaza is very young: more than half the residents there are children, who are in turn disproportionately affected by the war. Since the October outbreak of hostilities, a child has died on average every ten minutes. More than 17,600 are wounded with no surviving relatives.
“We decided to give this presentation to be a voice of those who are not being advocated for. It is so easy to go about our day-to-day activities and forget about the healthcare and humanitarian adversities that are occurring around the world,” said Shaik. “It’s hard to make the effort to become educated about what is going on. We wanted to show the Siena community that avoiding difficult conversations is not what should be done during sensitive times; rather we should come together and help each other to better serve those who need it the most.”
Dr. Hijazi treats between 200 and 500 patients a day, many of them expectant mothers. She knows of doctors who have been arrested, tortured and killed simply for their calling to help others.
“If we don’t die from military strikes, we will die from starvation or disease, or from the emotional distress of being oppressed,” she said. “Don’t get used to the horrors you have seen. Keep protesting and keep pressuring countries to stop this war against us.”
Alvi said, “Dr. Hijazi is truly a hero for the work she is doing in Gaza despite the inhumane working and living conditions. She gives us as students a very unique perspective on what is it like to be a physician in a war zone, teaching us to never take what we have for granted and that the most powerful type of resistance is through unity.”
Ghanem said he hoped the talk educated the Siena community about a very difficult but important topic, and offered ways to start discussion about how it can be addressed.
“I think many people have become used to the daily atrocities in Gaza, especially to women and children,” he said. “We hoped our presentation got the message across that this crisis is still very much happening and there are little things we all could do to alleviate this disaster.”
The Siena community is invited to an interfaith prayer service for peace on Friday, February 16 at 12:45 in the Franciscan Commons of Gioia Hall. Peace Action of New York State will host a bake sale on Monday, February 26 from 12 noon to 2PM in the SSU, with proceeds to benefit the Palestinian Child Relief Fund.