On Feb. 20, the Wellesley College Committee for Justice hosted a discussion on health in Gaza with Doctors Thaer Ahmad and Mark Perlmutter. The event took place in Collins Cinema from 7-8 p.m., with the doctors meeting students via Zoom. Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and has pursued training in health emergencies and humanitarian response through programs at Johns Hopkins and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Mark Nicholas Perlmutter is a board-certified orthopedic and hand surgeon who has participated in several medical missions to underserved parts of the world. Both Ahmad and Perlmutter volunteered in Gaza in the wake of Israel’s bombing campaign on the Strip after Hamas’s October 7 attack. Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which has been described as a genocide by organizations such as Amnesty International and the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights, has decimated Gaza’s healthcare system, which Ahmad and Perlmutter witnessed firsthand during their volunteer mission.
“All our collective missions combined, including over 40 surgical missions for me, didn’t equal what I saw in Gaza in my first week of the three weeks I was there,” said Perlmutter. The majority of patients in the ER were children, women and elders. Perlmutter and Ahmad operated on children with indescribable injuries, from shredded limbs to extreme burns. “It was earth-shattering to see so many kids lying down on the hospital floor,” remarked Ahmad.
Due to Israel’s relentless targeting of health infrastructure and refusal to permit aid into the Strip, doctors barely have basic resources to work with. “A child died with a 15% body burn. No child dies in the U.S. with a 15% body burn. But they die in Gaza,” said Ahmad. Children with gunshot wounds to the head and chest were brought in without sufficient resources to treat them. “It was heart-wrenching to make trade-offs and decide who you can save and who you can’t.”
Ahmad also discussed the dehumanization of doctors in Gaza, who have been illegally abused, tortured, and humiliated in Israeli detention simply for their occupational role as doctors. “You can’t make white coats a symbol of terror. We’re all a fraternity. An American doctor is not different from a Palestinian doctor,” Ahmad said. One prominent case of the targeting of Palestinian doctors is that of Dr. Husam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and director of one of the last barely functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital.
On Oct. 25, 2024, the hospital was raided and bombed by the Israeli military, and Dr. Abu Safiya’s son was killed. Dr. Abu Safiya was detained by Israeli authorities on Dec. 27, 2024, and he remains in detention, even though medical personnel must be respected and protected under international law.
As entire family registries continue to be wiped out by Israel’s assault on Gaza, maintaining cohesive Palestinian communities through proper healthcare infrastructure is of utmost importance. Despite attempts to fragment and destroy Palestinian communities, Perlmutter said that, “[Palestinians have] the most wonderfully tight family units I’ve ever seen. I’ve never worked with a population that’s lost everything, and yet they have so much dignity. That is what will ensure the rebirth of Palestine.” Similarly, Ahmad talked about the incredible generosity of the Palestinians he encountered. “They still want to share their dinner with you even though you know they’re starving.”
The discussion ended with a Q&A session. When asked what advice they would give to students going into medicine to aid Palestinian liberation, the doctors shared that it is important to take the Hippocratic Oath to a meaningful level, revealing that they would call Congress members and reach out to media outlets from Gaza.
They also underscored the importance of understanding needs on the ground and not falling prey to the paternalistic mentality of knowing what is best for the community you serve. Ahmad explained, “It’s not about our personal realizations or coming-of-age stories. We’re just a conduit for [Palestinians] to get their story out.”
At a time when speaking about Palestine puts individuals at risk in their personal and professional lives, Ahmad and Perlmutter reiterated the significance of creating spaces where people can advocate for and help Palestinians. “There are obstacles in place, there are bureaucracies and gatekeeping, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. We know our impact by the silence of institutions,” said Ahmad. “—And silencing,” finished Perlmutter. “There is lots of pushback and retaliation.” With this reorientation from medicine to advocacy work for all individuals to partake in, the doctors left attendees with meaningful advice. The discussion ended with a pertinent reminder of the impact students can make in the global movement for Palestine.
Contact the editor responsible for this story: Valida Pau.
