Open Letter from American Medical Professionals Who Served in Gaza
The below is an analysis of the medical workers who are signatories of a letter sent to President Biden on October 2nd, 2024. Many of the below doctors and medical workers have publicly spoken about their time in Gaza. Their stories are often harrowing accounts of time spent in hospitals in a war zone. The information compiled below is not meant to discredit those medical workers but to question their interpretation of chaotic events they witnessed. Many of the medical workers are Muslim or are affiliated with countries with populations largely hostile to Jews which may color their own perceptions of events, making them more likely to blame Israelis for suffering actually caused, directly or indirectly, by Hamas or other militant groups inside Gaza.
Because we know that Hamas are willing to kill their own people and, because they are aware that controlling the narrative is so important, it is plausible that they are intentionally killing their own people or are deliberately drawing Israeli firepower to civilian areas to maximize civilian casualties. This draws international outrage which leads to calls for a ceasefire. If a ceasefire is declared before Hamas is sufficiently dismantled, Hamas leaders will declare victory and begin rearming for their next attack.
Some medical workers make claims about Israel deliberately targeting civilians, claims they would have no way to verify. This is significant because Hamas have shown in the past that they do not mind killing Palestinians:
In May 2015, Amnesty International reported on the summary execution of at least 23 Palestinians by Hamas forces, noting,
In one of the most shocking incidents, six men were publicly executed by Hamas forces outside al-Omari mosque on 22 August in front of hundreds of spectators including children. Hamas announced the men were suspected “collaborators” [with Israel] who had been sentenced death in “revolutionary courts.” The hooded men were dragged along the floor to kneel by a wall facing the crowd, then each man was shot in the head individually before being sprayed with bullets fired from an AK-47.
At least as far back as 2014, Hamas were aware of the PR benefits of portraying Israel as primarily targeting and killing civilians. In July of that year, the Hamas-run Information Department of the Ministry of the Interior and National Security published social media guidelines where they demand,
Anyone killed or martyred is to be called a civilian from Gaza or Palestine, before we talk about his status in jihad or his military rank. Don't forget to always add “innocent civilian” or “innocent citizen” in your description of those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Avoid publishing pictures of rockets fired into Israel from [Gaza] city centers. This [would] provide a pretext for attacking residential areas in the Gaza Strip. Do not publish or share photos or video clips showing rocket launching sites or the movement of resistance [forces] in Gaza.
It is also plausible to believe that Hamas leadership within hospitals are manipulating what victims foreign doctors treat given that Hamas controls the hospitals, having ousted medical staff not loyal to them in 2007.
In November 2007, the British Medical Journal reported on a worker’s strike by doctors in Gaza:
The strike began because those who were supporters of the ousted Fatah government lost their jobs under the Hamas government, which took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah in June. The new government appointed Bassem Naim as minister of health. He fired the directors of Gaza's main hospitals, who were identified with Fatah, as well as many doctors and medical personnel. They were replaced with people who identified with Hamas."
Among those who lost their jobs was Jomaa Alsaqqa, deputy director of Shifa Hospital, who had worked as a surgeon at Shifa for 20 years. “I was fired only because I support Fatah,” Dr Alsaqqa says. In the past few months he has, he says, been arrested and beaten by Hamas three times.
“After I was dismissed they threatened to kill me, to shoot me, if I entered the hospital again.” According to Dr Alsaqqa, about 600 doctors were “fired or pushed out of their jobs.”
Some doctors speak of seeing child victims; sadly, Hamas have a history of training children for military activities:
In July 2010, The Guardian reported on camps run by various organizations in Gaza, summarizing the camps as follows:
Gaza summer camps
Islamic Jihad
10,000 children
51 camps
Themes: resistance; freedom for Palestinian prisoners; loyalty to the land and JerusalemHamas
100,000 children
500 camps
Themes: Jerusalem, prisoners, occupation, commitment to prayer
The medical workers complain of insufficient supplies; Hamas have stolen aid before:
In February 2009, The Guardian reported,
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said today it has halted all aid shipments into the Gaza Strip after the Hamas government seized thousands of tonnes of food and other provisions.
The UN Relief and Works agency said it made the decision after Hamas personnel intercepted an aid shipment for the second time this week.
In a statement, the agency said 10 truckloads of flour and rice delivered into Gaza yesterday were taken away by trucks affiliated with the Hamas-run social affairs ministry. Earlier this week, Hamas police took away thousands of blankets and food parcels meant for needy residents.
Doctor's Name |
Hospital Served in Gaza |
Note 1 |
Note 2 |
Note 3 |
Feroze Sidhwa, MD, MPH, FACS, FICS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
Lead signatory |
||
Mark Perlmutter, MD, FAAOS, FICS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
Lead signatory |
||
Aasif Kazi, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-8 |
? |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
|
Abdallah Abusalah, RN, BSN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1 |
? |
Went to high school in Saudi Arabia / went to college in Jordan |
Possibly Jordanian |
Abdalrahman Algendy, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 19-March 5 |
? |
Possibly Egyptian |
|
Abdullah Ghali, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-8 |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
||
Abeerah Muhammad, MSN, RN, CEN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
? |
||
Adam Hamawy, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-21 |
|||
Ahmad Hussain, MD, FACS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
? |
? |
|
Ahmad Yousaf, MD, MBA |
al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, June 24-July 16 |
Co-Founder and Board Member of Palestinian American Medical Association |
||
Ahmed Ebeid, MD |
Kamal Adwan Hospital, Beit Lahia, March 25-April 13 |
|||
Ahmed Hassabelnaby, DO |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1 / Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahia, June 20-July 3 |
|||
Arham Ali, MD, MS |
Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, February 16-28 |
Gave interview March 8, 2024 with anti-Israel Electronic Intifiada |
||
Ali Elaydi, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-10 |
|||
Alia Kattan, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17 |
Probably American |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
|
Aman Odeh, MBBS, FAAP |
Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, March 20 to April 1 |
|||
Amer Afaneh, MD, FACS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
? |
Name possibly Jordanian |
|
Ammar Ghanem, MD, FCCP |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
|||
Amr Abdelgawad, MD, MBA |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-15 |
|||
Asma A. Taha, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC/AC, FAAN |
Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, February 15-March 1 |
|||
Ayaz Pathan, MD, MBA, FACEP |
Indonesian Hospital, Beit Lahia & Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 25-August 15 |
? |
Gave a talk at the Islamic Association of Raleigh on labeled as "Witnesses to a Genocide" |
Name possibly Pakistani |
Ayman Abdul-Ghani, MD, FACS, FRCS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
|||
Azeem Elahi, MD |
European Hospital and al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 15-24 |
Volunteer with AidGaza Medical Mission of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) |
||
Bara Zuhaili, MD, MPH, FACS, DFSVS, RPVI |
al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 22- February 6 Served at N |
|||
Bashar Alzghoul, MD, FCCP |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
|||
Bilal Hussain Piracha, MD, MS |
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 |
|||
Bing Li, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, June 6-13 |
? |
? |
|
Brenda J. Maldonado, RN |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 15-28 |
American |
||
Bridget Rochios, RN, MSN, CNM, WHNP |
Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, May 1-28 |
American |
||
Chandra Hassan, MD, FACS, FRCS |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis & al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 9-23 |
|||
Deborah Weidner, MD, MBA |
Emirati Hospital for Women and Children, Rafah, May 1-28 |
American |
Deborah wears a hijab in her work photo with Hartford Health as well as in her profile on X |
|
Dhiaa Daoud, MD, MSC, FACEP |
European Hospital, Rafah, March 15-April 1 |
Founded Doctors for Hope Foundation |
||
Gamal Marey, MD, FACS, FACC |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Haleh Sheikholeslami, MD, FAAFP |
Tal al-Sultan Outpatient Clinic, Rafah, May 1-24 |
|||
Hani El-Omrani, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 4-18 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Haseeb Khawaja, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 1-14 / European Hospital, June 12-July 1 / al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, July 3-11 |
|||
Hina Cheema, MD |
Emirati Hospital, Rafah, March 6-20 / Nasser Medical Complex, June 18-July 11 |
|||
Hina Syed, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 1-10 |
|||
Hisham Qandeel, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 18-April 1 |
|||
Imad Tamimi, DMD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20 |
President, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Medical Advisory Board |
||
Irfan Galaria, MD, MBA |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 29-February 7 |
Affiliated with NGO Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) |
||
Jawad A. Khan, MD, MPH |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, April 1-11 |
|||
Jiab Suleiman, DO, MS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, and Kuwait Specialty Hospital, February 19-March 5 and April 1-15 |
|||
John Kahler, MD, FAAP |
Kamal Adwan Hospital and Nutrition Center, Beit Lahia, March 4-25 |
American |
||
Jomana Al-Hinti, MD |
European Hospital, May 1-21 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Kanwal Chaudhry, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 14-24 |
|||
Karim Fikry, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 8-15 |
|||
Khaled J Saleh, MD, MPH, MHCM, FRCS, CPE, FAAOS |
Served at European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 2-10 |
|||
Khawaja Nimr Ikram, DO |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 26-February 8 |
|||
Lana Abugharbieh, BSN, RN, CEN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis & Primary Care Clinics, Rafah, January 24-February 7 |
? |
? |
|
Laura Swoboda, DNP, APNP, FNP-C, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP, WOCNF |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17 |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
||
M Umar Burney, MD, MBA, FAAOS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 2-9 |
|||
Mahmooda Syed, DO, MBA, FACEP |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, August 8- September 5 |
? |
? |
Education in US per LinkedIn |
Mahmoud G. Sabha, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 25-April 3 / European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
|||
Margaret Ogden, MPH, RN, CCRN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 19-March 4 / Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 16-August |
American |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
|
Merril Tydings, BSN, RN, CEN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 24-February 7 |
? |
No record on web |
|
Mike M. Mallah, MD |
European Hospital, March 4-18 |
Syrian-American |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
|
Mohamad Abdelfattah, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
? |
Education in US per LinkedIn |
|
Mohamed Elfar, MD, MSc, FACS, FCCM |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, February 8-20 |
|||
Mohammad Subeh |
International Medical Corps Rafah Field Hospital, February 14-March 13 / International Medical Corps Deir el-Balah Field Hospital, June 25-July 18 |
|||
Mohammad Subeh, MD, MS |
International Medical Corps Rafah Field Hospital, February 14-March 13 / International Medical Corps Deir el-Balah Field Hospital, June 25-July 18 |
|||
Mohammed Hisham Naji, MD, FACS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 6 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Mohammed J. al-Jaghbeer, MD, FCCP |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
|||
Mohammed Khaleel, MD, MS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 3-10 |
? |
Education in US per LinkedIn |
|
Mohammed Z Rahman, RN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 4-18 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Monica Johnston, RN, BSN, CCRN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-17 |
American |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association |
|
Nabeel Rana, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, June 20-July 9 |
Gave a talk at the Islamic Association of Raleigh on labeled as "Witnesses to a Genocide" |
||
Nadia Yousef, MD |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 18-July 3 |
|||
Nahreen Ahmed |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, January 8-21 / MedGlobal/WHO Nutrition Center, Rafah / al-Awda Hospital, Gaza City & Kamal Adwan Hospital, Beit Lahia March 4-18 |
Bangladesh is one of 25 Muslim-majority countries that does not recognize Israel's sovereignty |
||
Nahreen Ahmed, MD, MPH |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, January 8-2 |
|||
Ndal Farah, MD |
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 |
|||
Nina Ng, MSN, RN |
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 |
|||
Omer Ismail, MD, FACS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, May 1-21 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Raed Otoom, MSN, BSN, RN, CES-A |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22 |
No record on web |
||
Ramin Pirouz, MD, JD |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, August 8-22 |
American (name likely Iranian) |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
|
Rana Mahmoud, RN, BSN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 6 & March 25-April 8 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Rassoul Abu-Nuwar, MD, FACS, FASMBS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 12 to February 4 |
Founder and President, Jordanian-American Physicians Association |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
|
Salman Dasti, MD |
European Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex, Khan |
? |
||
Sameer Khan |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17 |
? |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
|
Sarah Badran, MD, MACM, FPICCS, FSCAI |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22 |
|||
Steve Whiteley, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah June 21-August 1 |
American |
No public comments on Gaza found |
|
Syed Irfan Qasim Ali, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 1-10 |
? |
Works at Fajr Scientific (Fajr is a morning prayer in Islam) |
|
Syed M. Sayeed, MD, FACS |
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 |
? |
||
Talal Khan, MD, FACP, FASN, FRCP |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 16-August 13 |
|||
Tamer Hassen, BSN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 22 |
? |
? |
|
Tammy Abughnaim, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 6-20 Served at Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, July 24-August 15 |
? |
||
Tanya Haj-Hassan, BM BCh, MSc |
al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, March 11-25 |
|||
Tarek Gouda, RN, AACN |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 5-13 |
|||
Thaer Ahmad, MD |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis & al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Deir el-Balah, January 8-24 |
|||
Thaer Daifallah, DDS, FACS |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 5 |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
||
Thalia Pachiyannakis, MD, FACOG |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, June 20-July 11 |
|||
Usman Shah, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, April 29-May 17 |
|||
Vanita Gupta, MD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 29-February 8 |
Indian-American |
||
Victoria Aveson, MD |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital, September 3-29 |
American |
||
Waleed Sayedahmad, MD, PhD |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, March 25-April 8 |
Egyptian-American |
Traveled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) |
|
Wilhelmi Massay, BSN, BA-Ed, TNCC |
Indonesian Hospital, Deir el-Balah and Nasser Medical |
A nurse with the US Air Force who came to the US in 2004 with the Catholic church |
||
Yassar Arain, MD, FAAP |
al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital and European Hospital, Khan |
|||
Yousef Khelfa, MD, FACP |
European Hospital, Khan Younis, January 22-February 5 |
Co-Founder/Board Member of the Palestinian American Medical Association. |
||
Zaher Sahloul, MD, FCCP |
Nasser Medical Complex, Khan Younis, January 9-25 |
|||
Zena Saleh, MD |
al-Najjar Hospital, Rafah, April 15-May 2 |
? |
? |
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