Shafaq News/ American doctors trapped in the Gaza Strip bear witness to the harrowing scenes of destruction and despair. Some of them have urgently called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, highlighting that Khan Yunis resembles a landscape ravaged by a "nuclear bomb."
The "Democracy Now!" news program spoke with Dr. Adam Hamawy, one of around 20 American medical workers trapped in Gaza after Israel closed the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.
A plastic surgeon and Army veteran, Hamawy is on a volunteer mission with the Palestinian American Medical Association at the European Hospital in Khan Younis.
Like many Gazans, the U.S. medical workers are now facing dehydration and other deadly health conditions. "We're continuing to do our job. … It's tiring, but this is exactly what we need to be doing," Hamawy told Democracy Now, calling on President Joe Biden to stop supporting Israel's assault on Gaza.
"If my best friend is a serial killer, I'm going to stop being his friend." Hamaway described treating "massive" injuries to civilians in Khan Younis, where much of the city has been destroyed and vandalized in Hebrew. "It's going to haunt all of us. … I'm here. I see it with my own eyes. At some point in time, everyone is going to see it."
Dr. Hamawy, who saved the life of Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois when she was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while serving in the Iraq War, losing both of her legs and partial use of her right arm, said, "When I was in Iraq, I had the resources of the United States Army behind me. We had multiple specialists. We had a supply chain. I was dealing with people who got injured because they were either soldiers or combatants…There were civilians that were injured, but it's nothing compared to what I'm seeing right now. Ninety percent of who I see are civilians. And the injuries are just massive."
Hamawy described the current situation in Gaza saying it involves intermittent internet connectivity and frequent power outages.
In addition, the electricity supply has worsened, particularly over the past four or five days, due to hospital fuel shortages.
Electricity is being selectively cut off from certain wards to conserve fuel, prioritizing essential areas like operating rooms and ICUs.
Moreover, cellular service is also limited, with sporadic internet access via wireless connections in specific locations.
Regarding his patients, the Doctor pointed out that “the average patient is about 12 or 13 years old. They range from — the youngest one I’ve taken care of is about 4. And the age goes up to like mid-sixties or seventies.”
Asked what If he could speak with President Biden, Dr. Hamawy said, “I would tell him what difference is it from a 2,000-pound bomb from a 500-pound bomb?” They’re both going to kill civilians. He could stop this war right now. All he has to do is say, “We are not going to give anything, and you need to stop. I don’t care if you are our friend.”