Hope Amidst Ruins: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sitta’s Frontline Testimony in Gaza

For our 100th episode, Diana Buttu speaks with Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sitta, a renowned British-Palestinian doctor. Just two days into Israel's brutal bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, he decided to head to Gaza to provide life-saving medical treatment to Palestinians. He remained in Gaza for 43 days, giving the world a glimpse into the impact on Palestinians and the healthcare system in Gaza through his social media accounts and interviews, highlighting the effects of Israel’s siege and bombings. As we record this, today marks the 70th day of Israel’s bombing campaign, during which more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more still under the rubble. Israeli bombs have injured an estimated 50,000 Palestinians. The UN has announced that the health system has collapsed, with infectious diseases spreading. Dr. Abu Sitta and his colleagues have had to conduct surgeries without disinfectants, sometimes in the dark, using only the light from a cellphone. Many doctors are forced to amputate limbs without anesthesia. Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sitta is a multi-award-winning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, renowned as one of the world's leading specialists in craniofacial surgery, facial aesthetics, cleft lip and palate surgery, and trauma-related injuries. His pioneering research and innovation have transformed the faces and lives of patients across the globe. Le Monde has dubbed him 'the man who fixes broken faces.' In Gaza, he and other doctors and medical workers are heroes.