Doctor Reports from Gaza | Dr. Tarek Loubani | TMR
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Gaza's medical system has been decimated, with only three of 36 hospitals remaining semi-functional, and essential equipment like MRI and CT scanners deliberately destroyed.
- ❖Medical supplies, including basic gauze, antiseptics, and antibiotics, have been almost entirely blocked since January, with prior entry often requiring bribes to corrupt Israeli officials.
- ❖Israeli-funded gangs operate within Gaza, responsible for violence and assassinations, with Israeli military support, further destabilizing civilian life.
- ❖The 'yellow line' of Israeli control is constantly expanding, leading to arbitrary shootings of civilians, including a World Health Organization driver, with no accountability.
- ❖Israeli forces employ shifting targeting tactics, including a period of drone strikes specifically on children and current sniper shots to the head.
- ❖The official death toll is a severe undercount; the actual number of dead, including those under rubble and indirect deaths from malnutrition and lack of care, is estimated to be hundreds of thousands.
- ❖Bodies received from Israeli forces often show signs of desecration, including missing thumbs (allegedly for identification databases) and blocks of skin (suggesting skin graft collection).
- ❖The ongoing siege has tightened, leading to critical shortages of fuel and lubricating oils, causing generators to burn out and hospitals to go dark.
- ❖The Palestinian resistance has maintained a ceasefire, but Israel has not reciprocated by allowing in necessary food, reconstruction, or medical supplies.
Insights
1Systematic Destruction of Medical Infrastructure
Gaza's healthcare system has been systematically dismantled. From 36 hospitals, only three remain semi-functional. Israeli forces allegedly vandalized, smashed, and burned hospital equipment, including setting off explosives in MRI and CT scanners.
Dr. Loubani states, 'of those 36 truly there's only three functioning hospitals... everything has been reduced to basically tents.' He adds, 'I visited the uh MRI machines and CT scanners that were left and the Israelis would go in there, set off explosives, MRIs and CTs, and then leave the place.'
2Bribery Required for Medical Supplies
Entry of medical supplies into Gaza was previously facilitated by bribing corrupt Israeli officials. These officials were later caught and treated as committing 'high treason' for allowing in items like solar panels and medical equipment, which are typically embargoed.
Dr. Loubani explains, 'there were some corrupt Israeli officials that literally had to be bribed with large sums of money to allow some medical equipment to enter.' He notes that 'when those people were caught, it was treated like high treason. You know, why would you allow in solar panels? Why would you allow in medical supplies?'
3Israeli-Funded Gangs Operating in Gaza
Gangs, allegedly funded by Israel, are active in Gaza, contributing to violence and instability. Dr. Loubani recounts an incident where Abu Shab's gang broke into Nasser hospital, killed five people, and rampaged through the emergency department. These gangs operate with Israeli armored support, making them untouchable by Palestinians.
Dr. Loubani states, 'the gangs are still very active... I was there when uh Abu Shab's gang had broken into Nasar hospital, killed five of the people who were in the emergency department and then rampaged through.' He adds, 'they were very very very close to Israeli armored support.'
4Expansion of 'Yellow Line' and Targeting of Civilians
The Israeli-controlled 'yellow line' in Gaza is constantly expanding, encroaching on civilian areas. This line is used as a 'suggested starting point' for indiscriminate shooting, leading to civilian casualties, including a World Health Organization (WHO) driver who was sniped while in a clearly marked vehicle.
Dr. Loubani describes, 'I've watched the yellow line crawl over the days since I got here... Right now they are basically just on the other side of Salah and all of us know that on any given day we could be shot at.' He details how a 'sniper bullet' hit the head of a WHO driver on Salahin Street, 'hundreds of meters away from this yellow line.'
5Deliberate Targeting of Children with Drones and Snipers
Israeli forces have employed specific tactics to target children. Dr. Loubani observed a period where almost all victims were children shot by drone missiles. He recounts the death of a three-year-old girl hit by a drone missile while walking home from school. Currently, sniper shots to the head are a prevalent tactic, with most victims being children.
Dr. Loubani states, 'they went through a period over the last uh few weeks... where they were targeting little kids with drones.' He describes a 'beautiful three-year-old girl who was walking home from school... when a drone missile hit her.' He adds, 'right now... they're they're doing sniper shots to the head again. Um, we see that in kids.'
6Desecration of Bodies for Identification and Grafts
Bodies received from Israeli forces often show signs of desecration. Many bodies were missing thumbs, which forensic doctors in Gaza believe are cut off by Israelis to create a database of those killed. Some bodies also had missing organs and blocks of skin, suggesting potential organ harvesting or collection of skin grafts for Israel's skin bank.
Dr. Loubani describes seeing bodies 'missing thumbs' and being told by a doctor, 'the Israelis cut off all their thumbs so that they have a database of all the people who they've killed.' He also noted 'missing organs' and 'blocks of skin,' which 'sounds an awful lot like collection of skin grafts for the skin bank, uh Israel's skin bank.'
7Severe Undercounting of Deaths, Including Indirect Casualties
The official death toll in Gaza is a significant undercount. The Palestinian Ministry of Health only counts bodies that are identified, excluding many unidentified or those still under rubble. The true number, including direct war dead and indirect deaths from malnutrition, lack of medical care (e.g., dialysis patients), and disease, is estimated to be hundreds of thousands.
Dr. Loubani states, 'a couple of hundred thousand is a very very reasonable estimate' for the total dead. He recounts a baby dying from malnutrition due to lack of formula, which the ministry refused to count as a war-related death, and notes '40% of all the kidney dialysis patients in Gaza died' mostly due to lack of care.
Lessons
- Donate to organizations like the Glea Project (glea.org) to support medical aid and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
- Medical professionals with an understanding of the political context and commitment to liberation are encouraged to volunteer in Gaza.
- Engage in continued political advocacy, raising awareness and supporting efforts to end the occupation and siege of Palestine.
Notable Moments
Dr. Loubani recounts being present when an Israeli-funded gang, Abu Shab's, broke into Nasser hospital, killing five people in the emergency department. He protected patients, including a six-year-old girl on a ventilator, by pulling them to the ground.
This illustrates the extreme danger faced by medical personnel and patients within hospitals, highlighting the collapse of safety and order due to the conflict and the actions of armed groups.
Dr. Loubani describes a World Health Organization (WHO) doctor, a former student, whose driver was killed by an Israeli sniper bullet on Salahin Street, a supposedly cleared route. The vehicle was then 'lit up' with dozens of bullets, and the WHO doctors were forced to abandon their deceased colleague.
This incident underscores the complete disregard for international humanitarian law and the safety of aid workers, even those highly cleared by Israeli authorities, demonstrating the pervasive risk of arbitrary violence.
Dr. Loubani shares the story of a three-year-old girl, walking home from school with her backpack, who was hit by a drone missile. She arrived at the hospital virtually blind, crying for her 'baba,' and later died despite efforts to save her without pain medication.
This personal anecdote vividly illustrates the horrific impact of drone warfare on innocent children, the severe lack of medical resources (like pain management), and the moral dilemmas faced by doctors in a collapsing healthcare system.
Quotes
"The medical system has been completely completely ravaged. It's been I think probably the right word is desecrated as well because the reality is every time the Israelis came into a hospital they vandalized things, they smashed things, they burned things."
"These types of things, batteries, solar panels, medical devices, medical equipment, these are not something that should ever be embargoed or or part of any siege. And yet, here we find ourselves."
"The Israelis don't use the yellow line as a limit. They use it as a suggested starting point from which they can shoot with no accountability."
"We're not in a position where people are going to believe us even with the ones with bullets through their heads. Now what mind you the the ones who are malnourished to death."
"Every doctor ever will tell you the best thing you could do for us is uh put us out of a job, end the occupation, liberate Palestine."
Q&A
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