Open Letter From American Healthcare Workers Who Volunteered in Gaza

Since October 2023, dozens of American healthcare professionals have volunteered in Gaza, offering critical medical aid amidst unimaginable devastation. Many of these professionals have experience in other war zones like Ukraine and Syria, but nothing could prepare them for the overwhelming suffering they witnessed.

More information is available at www.gazahealthcareletters.org.

Also, read Dave DeCamp’s article: American Healthcare Workers Who Volunteered in Gaza Say Over 118,000 Have Been Killed

Write the Biden-Harris administration: urge our government to meet with American healthcare professionals who have seen Gaza firsthand.

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC
United States of America

The Honorable Kamala D. Harris
Vice President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC
United States of America

 October 2, 2024

Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris,

We are 99 American physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, nurses, and midwives who have volunteered in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. Combined, we spent 254 weeks volunteering in Gaza’s hospitals and clinics. We worked with various nongovernmental organizations and the World Health Organization in hospitals and clinics throughout the Strip. In addition to our medical and surgical expertise, many of us have a public health background, as well as experience working in humanitarian and conflict zones, including Ukraine during the brutal Russian invasion. Some of us are veterans and reservists. We are a multifaith and multiethnic group. None of us support the horrors committed on October 7 by Palestinian armed groups and individuals in Israel.

The Constitution of the World Health Organization states: “The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent on the fullest cooperation of individuals and States.” It is in this spirit that we write to you in this open letter.

We are among the only neutral observers who have been permitted to enter the Gaza Strip since October 7. Given our broad expertise and direct experience of working throughout Gaza we are uniquely positioned to comment on several matters of importance to our government as it decides whether to continue supporting Israel’s attack on, and siege of, the Gaza Strip. Specifically, we believe we are well positioned to comment on the massive human toll from Israel’s attack on Gaza, especially the toll it has taken on women and children.

This letter collects and summarizes our own experiences and direct observations in Gaza. The letter is accompanied by a detailed appendix summarizing the publicly available information from media, humanitarian, and academic sources on key aspects of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Both this letter and the appendix are available electronically at GazaHealthcareLetters.org. This website also houses letters from Canadian and British healthcare workers to their respective governments, making many similar observations to those herein.

This letter and the appendix show probative evidence that the human toll in Gaza since October is far higher than is understood in the United States. It is likely that the death toll from this conflict is already greater than 118,908, an astonishing 5.4% of Gaza’s population.

 Our government must act immediately to prevent an even worse catastrophe than what has already befallen the people of Gaza and Israel. A ceasefire must be imposed on the warring parties by withholding military support for Israel and supporting an international arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian armed groups. We believe our government is obligated to do this, both under American law and International Humanitarian Law. We also believe it is the right thing to do.

With only marginal exceptions, everyone in Gaza is sick, injured, or both. This includes every national aid worker, every international volunteer, and probably every Israeli hostage: every man, woman, and child. While working in Gaza we saw widespread malnutrition in our patients and our Palestinian healthcare colleagues. Every one of us lost weight rapidly in Gaza despite having privileged access to food and having taken our own supplementary nutrient-dense food with us. We have photographic evidence of life-threatening malnutrition in our patients, especially children, that we are eager to share with you.

Virtually every child under the age of five whom we encountered, both inside and outside of the hospital, had both a cough and watery diarrhea. We found cases of jaundice (indicating hepatitis A infection under such conditions) in nearly every room of the hospitals in which we served, and in many of our healthcare colleagues in Gaza. An astonishingly high percentage of our surgical incisions became infected from the combination of malnutrition, impossible operating conditions, lack of basic sanitation supplies such as soap, and lack of surgical supplies and medications, including antibiotics.

Malnutrition led to widespread spontaneous abortions, underweight newborns, and an inability of new mothers to breastfeed. This left their newborns at high risk of death given the lack of access to potable water anywhere in Gaza. Many of those infants died. In Gaza we watched malnourished mothers feed their underweight newborns infant formula made with poisonous water. We can never forget that the world abandoned these innocent women and babies.

We urge you to realize that epidemics are raging in Gaza. Israel’s continued, repeated displacement of the malnourished and sick population of Gaza, half of whom are children, to areas without running water or even toilets available is absolutely shocking. It was and remains guaranteed to result in widespread death from viral and bacterial diarrheal diseases and pneumonias, particularly in children under the age of five. Indeed, even the dreaded polio virus has reemerged in Gaza due to a combination of systematic destruction of the sanitation infrastructure, widespread malnutrition weakening immune systems, and young children having missed routine vaccinations for nearly an entire year. We worry that unknown thousands have already died from the lethal combination of malnutrition and disease, and that tens of thousands more will die in the coming months, especially with the onset of the winter rains in Gaza. Most of them will be young children.

Children are universally considered innocents in armed conflict. However, every single signatory to this letter saw children in Gaza who suffered violence that must have been deliberately directed at them. Specifically, every one of us who worked in an emergency, intensive care, or surgical setting treated pre-teen children who were shot in the head or chest on a regular or even a daily basis. It is impossible that such widespread shooting of young children throughout Gaza, sustained over the course of an entire year is accidental or unknown to the highest Israeli civilian and military authorities.

President Biden and Vice President Harris, we wish you could see the nightmares that plague so many of us since we have returned: dreams of children maimed and mutilated by our weapons, and their inconsolable mothers begging us to save them. We wish you could hear the cries and screams our consciences will not let us forget. We cannot fathom why you continue arming the country that is deliberately killing these children en masse.

The pregnant and breastfeeding women we treated were particularly malnourished. Those of us who worked with pregnant women regularly saw stillbirths and maternal deaths that were easily preventable in any developing country’s healthcare system. The rate of infection in C-section incisions was astonishing. Women underwent vaginal deliveries and even C-sections without anesthesia and were given nothing but Tylenol afterwards because no other pain medications were available.

We all observed emergency departments overwhelmed by patients seeking treatment for chronic medical conditions such as renal failure, hypertension, and diabetes. Aside from trauma patients, most ICU beds were occupied by patients with type 1 diabetes who no longer had access to insulin. The lack of medication availability, the widespread loss of electricity and refrigeration, and inconsistent access to food made managing this disease impossible. Israel has destroyed more than half of Gaza’s healthcare resources and has killed nearly one thousand Palestinian healthcare workers, more than one out of every 20 healthcare workers in Gaza. At the same time healthcare needs have increased massively from the lethal combination of military violence, malnutrition, disease, and displacement.

The hospitals where we worked were starved of basic supplies from, surgical material to soap. They were regularly cut off from electricity and Internet access, denied clean water, and operated at four to seven times their bed capacity. Every hospital was overwhelmed beyond the breaking point by displaced persons seeking safety, by the constant stream of sick and malnourished patients seeking care, and by the huge influx of seriously wounded patients who typically arrived in mass casualty events.

These observations and the publicly available material detailed in the appendix lead us to believe that the death toll from this conflict is many times higher than what is reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health. We also believe this is probative evidence of widespread violations of American laws governing the use of American weapons abroad, and of International Humanitarian Law. We cannot forget scenes of unbearable cruelty directed at women and children that our government is a direct participant in.

As we met our healthcare colleagues in Gaza it was clear that they were malnourished, and both physically and mentally devastated. We quickly learned that our Palestinian healthcare colleagues were among the most traumatized people in Gaza, and perhaps in the entire world. Like virtually all people in Gaza they had lost family members and their homes. Most lived in and around their hospitals with their surviving family in unimaginable conditions. Although they continued working a grueling schedule, they had not been paid since October 7. All were acutely aware that their work as healthcare providers had marked them as targets for Israel. This makes a mockery of the protected status hospitals and healthcare providers are granted under the oldest and most widely accepted provisions of International Humanitarian Law.

We met healthcare personnel in Gaza who worked at hospitals that had been raided and destroyed by Israel. Many of these colleagues of ours were taken by Israel during the attacks. They all told us a slightly different version of the same story: in captivity they were barely fed, continuously physically and psychologically abused, and finally dumped naked on the side of a road. Many told us they were subjected to mock executions and other forms of mistreatment and torture. Far too many of our healthcare colleagues told us they were simply waiting to die.

The 99 signatories to this letter spent a combined 254 weeks inside Gaza’s largest hospitals and clinics. We wish to be absolutely clear: not once did any of us see any type of Palestinian militant activity in any of Gaza’s hospitals or other healthcare facilities.

We urge you to see that Israel has systematically and deliberately devastated Gaza’s entire healthcare system, and that Israel has targeted our colleagues in Gaza for torture, disappearance, and murder.

President Biden and Vice President Harris, any solution to this problem must begin with an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We appreciate that you are working on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, but you have overlooked an obvious fact: the United States can impose a ceasefire on the warring parties by simply stopping arms shipments to Israel, and announcing that we will participate in an international arms embargo on both Israel and all Palestinian armed groups. We stress what many others have repeatedly told you over the past year: American law is perfectly clear on this matter, continuing to arm Israel is illegal. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris, we urge you to immediately withhold military, economic, and diplomatic support from the State of Israel and to participate in an international arms embargo of Israel and all Palestinian armed groups until a permanent ceasefire is established in Gaza, including the release of all Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and until a permanent resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is negotiated between the two parties. Vice President Harris, as the likely next president of the United States, we urge you to publicly announce your support for such a policy, and to state publicly that you are duty-bound to uphold the laws of the United States even when doing so is politically inconvenient. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are 99 American physicians and nurses who have witnessed crimes beyond comprehension. Crimes that we cannot believe you wish to continue supporting. Please meet with us to discuss what we saw, and why we feel American policy in the Middle East must change immediately. 

In the meantime, we reiterate what we wrote in our letter of July 25, 2024:

1. The Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt must be immediately reopened, and must allow unfettered aid delivery by recognized international humanitarian organizations. Security screening of aid deliveries must be conducted by an independent international inspection regime instead of by Israeli forces. These screenings must be based on a clear, unambiguous, and published list of forbidden items, and with a clear independent international mechanism for challenging forbidden items, as verified by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory.
2. A bare minimum water allocation of 15L of potable water per person per day, the Sphere Handbook minimum in a humanitarian emergency, must be allocated to the population of Gaza, as verified by UN Water.
3. Full and unrestricted access of medical and surgical professionals and medical and surgical equipment to the Gaza Strip must be resumed. This must include items taken in healthcare professionals’ personal luggage to safeguard their proper storage, sterility, and timely delivery, as verified by the World Health Organization. Incredibly, Israel continues to block healthcare workers of Palestinian descent from working in Gaza, even American citizens. This makes a mockery of the American ideal that “all men are created equal” and degrades both our national ideals and our profession. Our work is lifesaving. Our Palestinian healthcare colleagues in Gaza are desperate for relief and protection, and they deserve both.

We are not politicians. We do not claim to have all the answers. We are simply healing professionals who cannot remain silent about what we saw in Gaza. Every day that we continue supplying weapons and munitions to Israel is another day that women are shredded by our bombs and children are murdered with our bullets. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris, we urge you: end this madness now! 

Sincerely,

Feroze Sidhwa, MD, MPH, FACS, FICS
Trauma, acute care, critical care, and general surgeon
Northern California Veterans Affairs general surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Secretary/Treasurer, Chest Wall Injury Society
Associate Professor of Surgery, California Northstate University College of Medicine
Prior humanitarian work in Haiti, West Bank, Ukraine (3 deployments since 2023), and Zimbabwe
Treated victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing
French Camp, CA

Mark Perlmutter, MD, FAAOS, FICS
Orthopedic and hand surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
President, World Surgical Foundation
Global Vice President, International College of Surgeons
Prior humanitarian work in 30 countries
Treated victims of 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina
Rocky Mount, NC

Thalia Pachiyannakis, MD, FACOG
Obstetrician and gynecologist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 20-July 11
South Bend, IN

Adam Hamawy, MD
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-21
Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Princeton, NJ

Bing Li, MD
Emergency medicine physician
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, June 6-13
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 14-20
Served at Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahia, June 21-July 3
U.S. Army Veteran
Peridot, AZ

Mike M. Mallah, MD
Trauma, acute care, critical care, and general surgeon
Served at European Hospital, March 4-18
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Director of Global Surgery Program|
Charleston, SC

John Kahler, MD, FAAP
Pediatrician
Co-founder, MedGlobal
Served at Primary Care Clinics, Rafah, January 8-24
Served at Kamal Adwan Hospital and Nutrition Center, Beit Lahia, March 4-25
Chicago, IL

Nina Ng, MSN, RN
Emergency nurse
Served at Indonesian Field Hospital and Tal al-Sultan Primary Health Clinic March 4-11
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital (Deir el-Balah), Emirati Hospital for Women and Children (Rafah), and al-Najjar Hospital (Rafah) April 17-22
President, Help Me Live
New York City, NY Monica Johnston, RN, BSN, CCRN
Adult and pediatric critical care, burn, and wound care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Portland, OR

Laura Swoboda, DNP, APNP, FNP-C, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, WOCNF
Wound nurse practitioner
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17
Milwaukee, WI

Merril Tydings, BSN, RN, CEN
Flight, emergency, and critical care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 24-February 7
Santa Fe, NM

Margaret Ogden, MPH, RN, CCRN
Critical care, emergency, and trauma nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 19-March 4
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 16-August 13
Prior humanitarian work in Haiti, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya
Seattle, WA

Steve Whiteley, MD
Emergency medicine physician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah June 21-August 1
Prior humanitarian work in Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, Uganda, Iraq, and Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
Sonoma, CA

Brenda J. Maldonado, RN
Emergency nurse
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 15-28
Prior humanitarian work in Ukraine, Iraq, and Bangladesh
Vancouver, WA

Wilhelmi Massay, BSN, BA-Ed, TNCC
Critical care and trauma nurse
Served at Indonesian Hospital, Deir el-Balah and Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 24-August 15
Omaha, NE

Deborah Weidner, MD, MBA
General, child, and adolescent psychiatrist
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, August 15-September 13
American Red Cross volunteer
Hartford, CT

Bridget Rochios, RN, MSN, CNM, WHNP
Midwife and reproductive health nurse
Served at Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, May 1-28
San Francisco, CA

Vanita Gupta, MD
Critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 29-February 8
White Plains, NY

Gamal Marey, MD, FACS, FACC
General and cardiothoracic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve
Stockton, CA

Sarah Badran, MD, MACM, FPICCS, FSCAI
Pediatric cardiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22
Grand Rapids, MI

Victoria Aveson, MD
General surgeon
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, September 3-29
New York City, NY

Thaer Ahmad, MD
Emergency medicine physician
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis & al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 8-24
Director of Global Health, Advocate Christ Medical Center
Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Tanya Haj-Hassan, BM BCh, MSc
Pediatric intensivist
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 11-25
Prior humanitarian work with Doctors Without Borders in Liberia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Chad, Burkina Fasso, Kenya, and Uganda
Prior humanitarian work in the West Bank and Gaza
Rhodes Scholar
Philadelphia, PA

Nahreen Ahmed, MD, MPH
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, January 8-21
Served at the MedGlobal/WHO Nutrition Center, Rafah,; al-Awda Hospital, Gaza City & Kamal Adwan Hospital, Beit Lahia March 4-18
Former medial director, MedGlobal
Previous humanitarian work in Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, and Sudan
Philadelphia, PA

Talal Khan, MD, FACP, FASN, FRCP
Nephrologist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 16-August 13
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Oklahoma City, OK

Asma A. Taha, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC/AC, FAAN
Pediatric nurse practitioner
Served at Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, February 15-March 1
President, Association of Faculties of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Professor of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing
Portland, OR

Imad Tamimi, DMD
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20
Clinical Associate Professor, Rutgers New Jersey School of Dental Medicine
President, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Medical Advisory Board
Clifton, NJ

Chandra Hassan, MD, FACS, FRCS
General, bariatric, minimally invasive, and robotic surgeon
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis & al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 9-23
Board Member, MedGlobal
Prior humanitarian work in Ukraine and Syria
Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Hani El-Omrani, MD
Obstetric and regional anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 4-18
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, WA

Zaher Sahloul, MD, FCCP
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, January 9-25
President, MedGlobal
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
2020 Gandhi Peace Award recipient
Chicago, IL

Mohamed Elfar, MD, MSc, FACS, FCCM
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20
Assistant Professor of Surgery, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Adjunct Professor of Surgery, Touro University New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York City, NY

Hisham Qandeel, MD
Cardiothoracic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1
Clinical Assistant Professor, Michigan State University Medical Schools
Lansing, MI

Ammar Ghanem, MD, FCCP
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Clinical Assistant Professor, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lansing, MI

Abeerah Muhammad, MSN, RN, CEN
Emergency and critical care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Dallas, TX

Ayman Abdul-Ghani, MD, FACS, FRCS
Cardiothoracic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Honolulu, HI

Lana Abugharbieh, BSN, RN, CEN
Trauma, operating room, and emergency nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis & Primary Care Clinics, Rafah, January 24-February 7
Ashburn, VA

Rana Mahmoud, RN, BSN
Emergency and critical care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 6 & March 25-April 8
Wesley Chapel, FL

Tarek Gouda, RN, AACN
Critical care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 5-13
San Diego, CA

Hina Syed, MD
Internal medicine and geriatric medicine physician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 1-10
College Park, MD

Aman Odeh, MBBS, FAAP
Pediatrician
Served at Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, March 20 to April 1
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School
Austin, TX

Thaer Daifallah, DDS, FACS
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 5
Program director, Oral and maxillofacial residency, and Associate Professor, University of Missouri Kansas City
Kansas City, MO

Tammy Abughnaim, MD
Emergency medicine physician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 6-20
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 24-August 15
Chicago, IL

Dhiaa Daoud, MD, MSC, FACEP
Emergency medicine physician
Served at European Hospital, Rafah, March 15-April 1
President and founder, Doctors for Hope Foundation
Indian River, FL

Bilal Hussain Piracha, MD, MS
Emergency medicine physician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 7-19 and July 18-24
Served at Ahli Arab Episcopal Hospital, Gaza City, July 25-August 1
Assistant professor, Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dallas, TX

Khaled J Saleh, MD, MPH, MHCM, FRCS, CPE, FAAOS
Orthopedic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 2-10
Clinical professor, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, & Wayne State University School of Medicine
President, Fajr Scientific
Detroit, MI

M Umar Burney, MD, MBA, FAAOS
Orthopedic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 2-9
Founder and Chair, Gift of Disability Alleviation
Dallas, TX

Yousef Khelfa, MD, FACP
Hematologist and oncologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 5
Medical Director, Diana J. White Cancer Institute
Sonora, CA

Zena Saleh, MD
General surgery resident
Served at al-Najjar Hospital, Rafah, April 15-May 2
Camden, NJ

Karim Fikry, MD
Anesthesiologist and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 8-15
Division Director, Anesthesia Critical Care, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
Burlington, MA

Ramin Pirouz, MD, JD
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, August 8-22
Chair of Medicine and Director of Critical Care Medicine, Calvert Health Medical Center
Prince Frederick, MD

Yassar Arain, MD, FAAP
Neonatologist
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital and European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 15-24
Fulbright Scholar, Egypt, 2007-8
Dallas, TX

Usman Shah, MD
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17
Medical Director of Crescent Free Clinic, Fullerton, CA
Orange County, CA

Mohammad Subeh, MD, MS
Emergency medicine physician and ultrasound specialist
Served at the International Medical Corps Rafah Field Hospital, February 14-March 13
Served at the International Medical Corps Deir el-Balah Field Hospital, June 25-July 18
Mountain View, CA

Mahmoud G. Sabha, MD
Family medicine and wound care physician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 25-April 3
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Dallas, TX

Ahmed Hassabelnaby, DO
Emergency medicine physician
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1
Served at Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahia, June 20-July 3
Orlando, FL

Mohammed J. al-Jaghbeer, MD, FCCP
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Cleveland, OH

Waleed Sayedahmad, MD, PhD
Anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Parkland, FL

Amer Afaneh, MD, FACS
Trauma, acute care, critical care, and general surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Toledo, OH

Omer Ismail, MD, FACS
Trauma, acute care, critical care, and general surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-21
Des Moines, IA

Abdalrahman Algendy, MD
Anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 19-March 5
Toledo, OH

Mohamad Abdelfattah, MD
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Los Angeles, CA

Irfan Galaria, MD, MBA
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 29-February 7
Chantilly, VA

Mohammed Khaleel, MD, MS
Orthopedic and spine surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-10
Fort Worth, TX

Salman Dasti, MD
Anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist
Served at European Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 20-July 4
San Francisco, CA

Bashar Alzghoul, MD, FCCP
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8
Gainesville, FL

Ndal Farah, MD
Anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20
Toledo, OH

Tamer Hassen, BSN
Trauma and emergency nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22
Bedford, MA

Ahmad Yousaf, MD, MBA
Internal medicine physician and pediatrician
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, June 24-July 16
Little Rock, AK

Ahmed Ebeid, MD
Anesthesiologist and pain specialist
Served at Kamal Adwan Hospital, Beit Lahia, March 25-April 13
Portland, OR

Nadia Yousef, MD
Nephrologist
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 18-July 3
Modesto, CA

Hina Cheema, MD
Obstetrician and gynecologist
Served at Emirati Hospital, Rafah, March 6-20
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, June 18-July 11
Dallas, TX

Jomana Al-Hinti, MD
Neurologist and movement disorders specialist
Served at European Hospital, May 1-21
Toledo, OH

Haleh Sheikholeslami, MD, FAAFP
Family medicine physician and integrative medicine specialist
Served at Tal al-Sultan Outpatient Clinic, Rafah, May 1-24
Mountain View, CA

Alia Kattan, MD
Anesthesiologist and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17
Newport Beach, CA

Sameer Khan
Cardiac anesthesiologist and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17
Newport Beach, CA

Rassoul Abu-Nuwar, MD, FACS, FASMBS
General, advanced GI, bariatric, foregut surgeon, and surgical endoscopist
Served at: European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 12 to February 4
Founder and President, Jordanian-American Physicians Association
Boston, MA

Azeem Elahi, MD
Pulmonary and critical care intensivist
Served at European Hospital and al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 15-24
Charlotte, NC

Aasif Kazi, MD
Otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-8
Loma Linda, CA

Raed Otoom, MSN, BSN, RN, CES-A
ECMO and vascular access nurse specialist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22
Washington, DC

Haseeb Khawaja, MD
Internal medicine physician
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 1-14
Served at European Hospital, June 12-July 1
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, July 3-11
Detroit, MI

Mohammed Hisham Naji, MD, FACS
Anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 6
President, DC Chapter, Syrian American Medical Association
Vienna, VA

Jawad A. Khan, MD, MPH
Hand and upper extremity surgeon
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 1-11
Lake Forrest, CA

Ahram Ali, MD, MS
Pediatric critical care intensivist
Served at Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, February 16-28
Los Angeles, CA

Abdullah Brown, MD
Anesthesiologist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20
Herndon, VA

Abdullah Ghali, MD
Orthopedic surgery resident
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-8
Houston, TX

Khawaja Nimr Ikram, DO
Orthopedic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 26-February 8
Dallas, TX

Kanwal Chaudhry, MD
Emergency medicine physician
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 14-24
New York City, NY

Syed Irfan Qasim Ali, MD
Anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 1-10
Dallas, TX

Nabeel Rana, MD
General and vascular surgeon
Served at al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, June 20-July 9
Charlotte, NC

Abdallah Abusalah, RN, BSN
Critical care and trauma nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1
Detroit, MI

Syed M. Sayeed, MD, FACS
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 16-24
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 24-27
Served at Tal al-Sultan Outpatient Clinic, Rafah, April 29-May 1
New York City, NY

Ayaz Pathan, MD, MBA, FACEP
Emergency medicine physician
Served at Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahia & Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 25-August 15
Divisional President, ApolloMD
Raleigh, NC

Mahmooda Syed, DO, MBA, FACEP
Emergency medicine physician
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, August 8-September 5
Seattle, WA

Amr Abdelgawad, MD, MBA
Pediatric and trauma orthopedic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-15
Brooklyn, NY

Ali Elaydi, MD
Orthopedic and spine surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-10
Dallas, TX

Bara Zuhaili, MD, MPH, FACS, DFSVS, RPVI
Vascular surgeon
Served at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 22-February 6
Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 23-August 4
Flint, MI

Mohammed Z Rahman, RN
Critical care nurse
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 4-18
Longwood, FL

Jiab Suleiman, DO, MS
Orthopedic surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, and Kuwait Specialty Hospital, February 19-March 5 and April 1-15
Detroit, MI

Ahmad Hussain, MD, FACS
Vascular surgeon
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17
Los Angeles, CA