Canadian surgeon recounts experience, conditions while in Gaza

Canadian surgeon Dr. Yasser Khan returning from Gaza talks about horrific healthcare conditions | Screencaps from Global News’ interview

It’s been months of devastating news from besieged Gaza and West Bank of attacks and war crimes committed by the Israel Defense Forces compounding the impact of a 16-year ongoing deadly blockade.

The mounting death toll and the collapsing Palestinian healthcare system have prompted healthcare workers treating patients in Gaza, including World Health Organization teams undertaking high-risk missions, to call for the support of the Palestinian people. Among them is Canadian ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Yasser Khan.

Dr. Khan had been working in the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, which continues to be bombarded by Israeli troops, tanks, and air raids. Khan has shared his experience through interviews with outlets like Democracy Now and Global News.

When asked by Global News how he managed to enter Gaza, Dr. Khan spoke about flying from Toronto to Cairo and crossing at least eight checkpoints at the Sinai desert to the Rafah Border situated between Egypt and Gaza.

He also noted that a person needs approval from the Israeli authorities, Egyptian authorities, the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and the World Health Organization before they can enter.

Dr. Khan held his interview with Democracy Now at the European Hospital and shots from his operating room are shown to emphasize the horrific conditions in the Gazan city.

“Almost every hour someone’s coming in with an explosive injury or serious injury. People are losing their legs, their eyes, their lives. And the healthcare workers who are working here every single day with nothing,” the surgeon says in the video published on Jan. 5.

“All the cases that we’ve seen are all explosive-related, whether it’s artillery or bombs. So all the injuries are severe. Many of them are life-threatening.”

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“I’m an ophthalmologist but I also do eye facial reconstructive plastic surgery. So I’ve seen a lot of face injuries,” he continues. “I’ve seen more trauma when it comes to eyes than I’ve ever seen in my entire 20 years of practice.”

“The doctors and the healthcare workers here are excellent. They’re doing their best job despite the fact that the system is collapsing. They are doing so much with so little. There’s no medications, no supplies, no instruments, no resources. Yet, they’re still saving lives,” Dr. Khan adds.

“I was around dedicated health workers who were working and were calm despite the bombs around them. So we’re all in this together. And there’s a certain camaraderie in saving lives together, which made me forget about my own safety but worry about the safety of the people I’m trying to save,” he said in a similar sentiment on his Global News appearance.

While he didn’t want to leave and felt guilty for doing so, he was forced to by the ramped up bombings in Khan Younis. Dr. Khan is one of many who’ve seen the horrific conditions in Gaza and lending his voice to demand an end to the attacks.