North Texas doctors return from Gaza, describe devastating injuries and conditions
Texas doctors return from Gaza describe dire conditions
North Texas doctors who just returned from a humanitarian trip to Gaza are describing the injuries and devastating conditions they witnessed on their mission.
North Texas doctors who just returned from a humanitarian trip to Gaza are describing the injuries and devastating conditions they witnessed on their mission.
What we know:
Israel's air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and led to widespread starvation.
Several doctors said not a single day passed during their time in Gaza that they did not pronounce dozens of people dead at area hospitals.
One ER doctor told FOX 4’s Alex Boyer that the food there was so scarce that she herself lost 10 pounds during her two-week mission trip.
What they're saying:
Gut-wrenching testimony from emergency room physicians who recently returned to North Texas from treating patients in war-torn Gaza.
Emergency room physician, Dr. Adil Husain got emotional as he talked about his encounter with a 10-year-old boy who was brought to the hospital after he was shot while waiting in line to get food.
"I held him closely as he took his last breath and I whispered into his ear 'I'm sorry'. I was sorry for the horrific pain that he endured," he said.
North Texas doctors in Gaza
Local perspective:
Four North Texas doctors are among a group of some 30 medical professionals nationwide who spend weeks in Gaza, trying to treat the sick and wounded.
They held photographs of their young patients. Some are too graphic to show on television.
Dr. Nouf Sharaf described treating a 7-year-old in need of a chest tube.
"So, this is a 7-year-old I put a chest tube in. You can see it's on the floor," said Dr. Sharaf.
The group described working in damaged hospitals, with little to no sterile supplies or working equipment.
"They handed me the tool we used to put the breathing tube in that had just been used to treat another patient, and they said they had no way to sterilize it and, unfortunately, that is the only thing I had," said Dr. Sharaf.
Dr. Sharaf told FOX 4 that rarely did a day go by without there being a mass casualty event.
He said all the patients he treated were innocent civilians.
"You can't argue with pictures, you can't argue with the videos or our experience there."
Gaza's food situation
Dig deeper:
When it comes to the food situation in Gaza, Dr. Husain says it's a tricky situation.
Many people are severely malnourished, so even if they can get food, they can't simply eat it all, due to a metabolic condition called re-feeding.
"It's a very desperate situation," he says.
"It’s a very tricky situation metabolically because you can't just reintroduce food right away," said Dr. Husain. "It causes arrhythmia and sudden death. So, this has to be done in a very structured, slow manner."
What's next:
The Israeli government has repeatedly rejected claims that it is committing war crimes, saying its targets are Hamas terrorists and not civilians.
However, this group is calling for an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid.
A delegation of these doctors will arrive in Washington D.C. in the coming weeks to demand direct meetings with key decision-makers, including members of congress, the Secretary of State and even President Donald Trump.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from an interview conducted by FOX 4's Alex Boyer.