It’s been more than seven months since the start of the war in Gaza.
That’s after Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Since then, Israeli military forces have continued a campaign in the Gaza Strip leading to the deaths of more than 35,000 people. Many more are injured and displaced.
Dr. Hisham Qandeel traveled to Gaza in March to help with emergency medical response. He’s the medical director of cardiothoracic surgery at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing. Qandeel spent several weeks volunteering with Rahma International at two hospitals.
WKAR's Sophia Saliby spoke with Dr. Qandeel about what it meant to go to Gaza and what he experienced there.
Interview Highlights
On why he decided to go to Gaza
I felt that I have a huge responsibility as almost everyone else has a responsibility of some kind to help humanity. What's happening is a catastrophic situation. It should be unacceptable by any sane and decent human being, so everyone should pursue any channels that enable that person to help stop what's going on there.
On returning to the homeland of his parents
I'm of Palestinian descent but unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity to visit my homeland country, because my parents who were born in Palestine got displaced from their homeland in 1948, and they became refugees, and they were denied the right to go back to their homeland. And subsequently, their offspring, including myself and my siblings, were never given the right to go back to our home country.
It was a dream for me to visit Palestine. So yes, it was an honor and privilege, and I had the tears of joy eventually to visit Palestine. But at the same time, I had tears of sorrow, that the first time to visit Palestine is in this catastrophic situation.
On what needs to happen to stop the violence
I think the politicians here and the government has to listen to the peoples because here I live in the Lansing area that the city council has issued a ceasefire resolution, obviously, as many other cities. There are not having any obligation, but at least it reflects what the people think here.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: It’s been more than seven months since the start of the war in Gaza.
That’s after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, and since then Israeli military forces have continued a campaign in the Gaza Strip leading to the deaths of more than 35,000 people. Many more are injured and displaced.
Dr. Hisham Qandeel traveled to Gaza in March to help with emergency medical response.
He’s the medical director of cardiothoracic surgery at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing. Dr. Qandeel joins me now. Thanks for being here.
Hisham Qandeel: Thank you for having me.
Saliby: Why did you feel called to volunteer, especially to somewhere where your safety is not guaranteed as a doctor?
Qandeel: So basically, I felt that I have a huge responsibility as almost everyone else has a responsibility of some kind to help humanity. What's happening is a catastrophic situation. It should be unacceptable by any sane and decent human being, so everyone should pursue any channels that enable that person to help stop what's going on there.
Whether it's from the medical team, if they are medical expertise, and those who have political power or those who have some media influence or financially able to send some aid for like food and medical supplies.
As a surgeon, I felt that the least that I can do is to volunteer my time and expertise to go there and help save some lives and help cure the injured and show them that they are not left alone.
So, as a doctor, as a surgeon, I felt that the least that I can do is to volunteer my time and expertise to go there and help save some lives and help cure the injured and show them that they are not left alone, that the people there, support them and stand in solidarity with them.
Saliby: How did you actually get to Gaza? Can you talk about that journey?
Qandeel: Yes. So, basically, I have applied for multiple medical missions or organizations like last year, like in November and December, but it was very challenging to get accepted because it has to have lots of approvals from the state of Israel itself and the [World Health Organization] and other places. So, I remember that I was on the waiting list for four different organizations.
So, Rahma Worldwide is the name of the organization that I ended up going with. It was from mid-March to early April. So basically, it had multiple doctors, not only from the United States, but also from Europe, from the Middle East, multiple places basically. And we did not know each other necessarily before, so we grouped in Cairo in a hotel basically, and we had multiple buses where we brought our medical supplies and equipment, and then we went from Cairo to Rafah port.
So basically, it took almost 10 hours, through about eight checkpoints from Cairo to reach the port of Rafah, lots of military checkpoints there until we were eventually able to get into Rafah, which is obviously the entry to Gaza. And then from there, I went to two different hospitals. One is called the European Gaza hospital and other one is called Shuhada al-Aqsa. One is in the south, and other one is in the middle of Gaza.
Saliby: What type of work were you doing there?
Qandeel: Yeah, so, I am a cardiothoracic surgeon and a general surgeon ... and a vascular surgeon as well like by training. So, any kind of general injuries, I was able to help participate in either operating or resuscitating to help save these peoples, including injuries to the chest, like the lungs or the heart or the airways, like the neck. We have multiple injuries there. They're all the extremities wounds, like bleeding vessels, like in the legs or arms, in addition to providing basic support in the emergency department.
So, putting some stitches, to help intubate some people ... unfortunately some of them were dying and had the inability to have immediate resuscitation. So, we're giving basic life support until further assist comes.
Saliby: What were the emotions that came with doing this work?
Qandeel: The emotions were overwhelming. I would say that from the moment entering Gaza I was overwhelmed with emotions, and I had the tears of joy initially that I finally became able to visit the homeland of my parents. So, I'm of Palestinian descent, but unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity to visit my homeland country, because my parents who were born in Palestine got displaced from their homeland in 1948, and they became refugees, and they were denied the right to go back to their homeland. And subsequently, their offspring, including myself and my siblings, were never given the right to go back to our home country.
It was a dream for me to visit Palestine. So yes, it was an honor and privilege, and I had the tears of joy eventually to visit Palestine. But at the same time, I had tears of sorrow, that the first time to visit Palestine is in this catastrophic situation. So, it is being wiped out. It is being massacred and genocides taking place and violations of human rights.
So of course, no one would, whether you have connections or no connections to that land, no one would be okay just seeing the catastrophic situations going on there. Anyhow, so to answer your question, the emotions were overwhelming, just from the moment entering there.
And obviously, as we witnessed what's happening there in a daily basis, at all aspects, including the medical aspect, like the injuries and devastating situations in a place that lacks almost everything, lacks hospitals. The bigger hospitals are demolished, like they are destroyed. So, we were working in relatively smaller hospitals that most of them were not even equipped to receive such injuries, and a lack of supplies, lacks personnel. And people lack food and shelter because these hospitals were actually serving as shelters rather than medical facilities. People were in the hallways.
So yes, it is overwhelming, and the person becomes very saddened to see all these people suffering, and, of course, offering a little bit with what you have, it contributes slightly, but again, this is not going to be enough at all.
And the most influential step, I think and I believe, is to stop this ongoing aggression. So, that's the most saving and helping move more than even sending people and doctors and the aid, the food supplies and all this kind of stuff that many countries are or United States is trying to participate in some regards. I think the most influential part is to stop this genocide, and to force this discontinuation of it and stop sending weapons to basically support or fund this genocide.
No one would, whether you have connections or no connections to that land, no one would be okay just seeing the catastrophic situations going on there.
Saliby: To end our conversation, what do people here in Michigan not know about what it's like to be in Gaza right now.
Qandeel: So, I think people at the beginning, were lacking some information about the backgrounds, about the history, but I believe most of the people that I have met and spoke with, they became more and more aware. So, as the catastrophic situation as it is, it became an opportunity for people to know what's happening, and I want to correct something.
What happened did not start in October 7, right? And it's not only one party started that. People there were suffering more than seven decades there, and people all over the world, were ignoring what's happening there. And now, most of the people I met in Michigan became more understanding of the situation, more sympathetic, and they agree. I've never met anyone who I spoke in depth with who disagrees about what's happening is not acceptable and has to stop and the peoples have to be saved, and a real solution has to take place to save people there.
I've never met anyone who I spoke in depth with who disagrees about what's happening is not acceptable and has to stop and the peoples have to be saved, and a real solution has to take place to save people there.
I think the politicians here and the government has to listen to the peoples because here I live in the Lansing area, that the city council has issued a ceasefire resolution, obviously, as many other cities. There are not having any obligation, but at least it reflects what the people think here. So, to answer your question, most people are surrounding me even those who did not have previous knowledge about what's happening now they became more knowledgeable, and they are more engaged. And I think government has to listen to their own people.
Saliby: Hisham Qandeel is a Lansing doctor who recently volunteered in Gaza. Thank you for joining me.
Qandeel: Thank you so much.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
