The head of Jordan Medical Association, Dr. Ziad Al-Zu’bi, explained that the association is aware of the difficulties that arise from granting doctors entry permits to Gaza. However, this shows their great readiness to contribute to alleviating the suffering of Gazans and contributing to their treatment in Jordanian hospitals, explaining that 850 doctors volunteered to go to Gaza, including 250 surgeons, as volunteers after the association opened the door for volunteering to the members of its General Assembly.
During the panel discussion hosted by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) entitled: “Gaza: An Assault on Humanitarian Standards”, in line with the framework of the Right to Health Dialogues, and within the Justice Sector Support Forum, on Monday, March 4, 2024, moderated by the main advisor at Durrat Al-Manal for Development and Training, Dr. Sawsan Al-Majali, and which included Jordanian doctors who were part of the medical delegation that visited Gaza during the last period, in coordination with an American organization called “Mercy Around the World”, Al-Zu’bi pointed out that many members of the medical staff expressed their willingness to treat Gazan patients and follow up on their cases, whether in the Gaza Strip or in Jordan.
These doctors described their journey by saying: “Oppression is in every corner there. Voices choke with tears as they narrate the suffering of a people struggling to protect their land. Everyone in Gaza is injured, none of them has been spared, but they are nevertheless steadfast and resilient, putting their lives at risk for the sake of their people.” They went on to stress that the medical profession, especially humanitarian medicine, has no room for fear or hesitation, as it stands to heal wounds and save the lives of those who have been given a new chance at life.
Dr. Waleed Mas’oud, consultant vascular and kidney transplant surgeon and one of the participants in the mission, which included seven Jordanian surgeons, along with seven American doctors and six doctors from Europe, recounted the experience of living among the resilient and steadfast people of Gaza, highlighting through pictures the magnitude of the suffering and the depth of the tragedy that the people of Gaza continue to experience.
“The problem is not limited to the casualties resulting from the aggressive bombardment, there’s also the collapse of the environmental, health, and food systems, and the absence of basic necessities, as well as the direct targeting of children and women in particular,” Mass’oud said, adding that: “Each person in the medical delegation communicated with their counterpart specialists in Gaza’s hospitals. We dealt with many cases, from old and recent injuries to emergency cases and congenital malformations.”
Mass’oud, who worked at the European Hospital in Gaza alongside his fellow doctors and nurses, pointed out that doctors in the Gaza Strip are facing o many difficulties in their work, amid great stress and a shortage of equipment and supplies, in contrast to the huge increase in the number of wounded people transferred to hospitals non-stop. Therefore, he believes that there is a need for all available efforts to support the work of the health sector in Gaza.
Mas’oud told the stories of children, young people, and men who suffered various injuries throughout their bodies, yet they conquered their wounds and went back to their lives. He then added that: “Faith is a common element among all the people of Gaza; they have a divine willpower rarely found in others, and perhaps this is what sets them apart.”
Talking about the humanitarian role, consultant orthopedic and joint surgeon and secretary of the medical association, Dr. Tariq Al-Tamimi, warned that the situation in the strip is very difficult, as life has collapsed, and the basic necessities are not available, with no toilets or personal hygiene products, finding it particularly painful that women and children do not have access to their most basic needs.
Regarding his impressions and to sum up his experience in Gaza with its people and doctors, Tamimi said, “There are mixed feelings and emotions; a feeling of admiration for the steadfastness and patience of this great people and their determination to endure and resist, yet there is that killing feeling when you see the humanitarian crisis that surrounds them from all sides. We just have to continue to give everything we can, raise donations and aid, and volunteer for medical missions there.” He also pointed out that while the door for donating to Gaza is open through the association, it is not possible to skip the extended efforts made by the Hashemite Charity Organization in providing various forms of assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip.
In total, according to the speakers at the meeting, more than 22 hospitals and 138 health institutions are now out of service due to damage caused by Israeli shelling and the lack of fuel and staff. Meanwhile, hospitals that remain open are under mounting and suffocating pressure, either from the bombardment or from the large numbers of patients and injured people arriving at their doors non-stop.
All these stories, mixed with pain and agony and stemming from the shared human and Arab sentiment, fall short of describing the magnitude of the suffering that Gazans live on daily basis, amid the absence of humanitarian standards and crimes committed against them while the world watches. Therefore, in conclusion, it is necessary to continue sending medical delegations and health personnel to Gaza, and to rebuild hospitals and medical centers and provide them with all the necessary devices and equipment, with the need to reach the north of Gaza and provide treatment to its people, as well as coordinating efforts between all relevant parties to ensure the delivery of relief and medical aid, and not to forget the need to provide moral support, mental health support, and medical care to the people of Gaza.
