Dr Abdelkader Hammad, a surgeon at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital who has spent the last decade in Gaza to undertake kidney transplants and train local doctors, has described the situation in Gaza as being “out of control”. He was woken by the sound of rockets as the latest conflict erupted. He is currently sheltering with other foreign nationals and the United Nations. “During the night and the day we can hear and feel the air strikes and explosions around us in the distance and sometimes very close to us,” he said.
Nine US citizens have been confirmed as dead and more than ten British citizens are feared dead or missing. Dr Hammad said he was worried about his safety but also “despaired by seeing so many civilians, children, women from both sides being killed”. Although in Gaza to save lives, he said it was difficult if he “saved five people but at the same time a lot of people are killed.”
Hamas militants attacked Israel on Saturday, and hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have since been killed. Dr Hammad said that the situation in the area in “the past 10 years and the situation of the standard of living, the economic situation, I think that probably in retrospect you probably think that this would happen at some stage.” Despite the conflict out of control, Dr Hammad continues to work even though he believes the situation is not something to condone.
The doctor has arrived in the country on Friday and is no stranger to the area; he undertakes between four and five kidney transplants each visit. While he worries about his own safety, his objective is to save lives despite the fatalities on both sides
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