57 Healthcare workers gave distressing testimonies of children shot in the head by Israeli occupation forces labeling it as a pattern.
American doctors revealed to the New York Times horrifying accounts of Palestinian children being shot in the head by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza following visits to the besieged Strip, stressing a pattern they witnessed while operating on these children, Al-Mayadeen reported.
Trauma and general surgeon, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, was one of those physicians who gave their accounts. Sidhwa who was in Khan Yunis for two weeks in March and April said that he was astounded to find out that other physicians were witness to children being shot in the head or chest by Israel’s war machinery.
Sidhwa upon his return to the US recalls speaking to another doctor and telling him that: “I couldn’t believe the number of kids I saw shot in the head.”
‘Ironclad Commitment to Israel’s Security’ – Biden Reiterates US’ Support to Netanyahu
To his surprise, the physician he spoke with confirmed the matter by saying: “Yeah, me too, every single day.”
The American physician collected the testimonies of 65 other healthcare workers on their experience in Gaza, 44 of whom reported witnessing cases of children shot in the head or chest and 57 of the 65 physicians he spoke with decided to go on record, Al-Mayadeen said.
On his own experience, Sidhwa revealed that “nearly every day I was there, I saw a new young child who had been shot in the head or chest, virtually all of whom went on to die. Thirteen in total.”
He attributed this to a number of Israeli occupation forces being stationed at proximity to where he worked in Gaza.
Further Horrifying Accounts
Bariatric and foregut surgeon, Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar, was amongst those who went on record.
He revealed that within four hours spent in the emergency department, he witnessed “six children between the ages of 5 and 12, all with single gunshot wounds to the skull,” Al-Mayadeen stated.
Work for Peace – UN Special Rapporteur Urges World Leaders to Move beyond Hypocrisy
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Irfan Galaria also gave his testimony to the New York Times (NYT).
“Our team cared for about four or five children, ages 5 to 8 years old, that were all shot with single shots to the head. They all presented to the emergency room at the same time. They all died,” Galaria told the NYT.
Dr. Ndal Farah, an anesthesiologist, revealed that many of the children who were shot had “non-curable, permanent brain damage,” emphasizing that this was “a near-daily occurrence,” Al-Mayadeen said.
Born to Die
According to the NYT report over 20 healthcare workers reported “seeing healthy infants delivered only to die in the hospital due to dehydration, hunger, or illness,” Al-Mayadeen said.
Nearly all of the accounts of the healthcare workers emphasized that Palestinians in Gaza were malnourished.
Nurse Merril Tydings was quoted as saying that “these people were starving.”
Tydings revealed that they abstained from eating or drinking in front of Palestinian healthcare workers who were for days deprived from food or drink.
Psychiatric Distress
According to the collected accounts, the one-year-old genocide in Gaza and the horrifying living conditions in the enclave during this war have resulted in “psychiatric distress” among Palestinian children.
Northern Gaza under Siege – Israel Issues Fresh Evacuation Orders for Three Hospitals
52 healthcare workers who gave their testimonies “observed nearly universal psychiatric distress in young children, and saw some who were suicidal or said they wished they had died,” Al-Mayadeen reported.
Pediatric critical care doctor Tanya Haj-Hassan spoke of one child, who lost his entire family, saying: “Everyone I love is in heaven. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
Stop Arming Israel
Sidhwa insisted that the United States should stop arming Israel accusing both of “turning Gaza into a howling wilderness.”
Sidhwa wrote: “The horror must end. The United States must stop arming Israel.”
He added that as this happens, “we Americans need to take a long, hard look at ourselves.”
Gaza Genocide Continues
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,010 Palestinians have been killed, and 97,720 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(Al-Mayadeen, PC)
Be the first to comment