An Irish orthopaedic surgeon, who was blocked from entering Gaza last week, says medics in the territory are struggling to deal with the scale of injuries following Israeli air strikes on Tuesday.
Dr Mohamed Shaalan, who works in Dublin, says Israeli officials denied him permission to enter the Gaza Strip after he travelled to Jordan on March 10th.
He wanted to join a team of volunteer doctors on a medical mission to the besieged region. Two Australian doctors he was travelling with were granted permission to enter Gaza.
The Australian doctors, who remain in regular contact with Dr Shaalan by text message, are among the medical workers attempting to treat the influx of patients with severe injures following Israel’s air strikes on the region on Tuesday. More than 400 people died in the attacks, Gaza’s health ministry reported.
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Médecins Sans Frontières doctors have described the scenes at Nasser Hospital, where Dr Shaalan had planned to work during his trip, as “disastrous” with “parts of bodies” in the emergency unit, most of them children and women.
“My heart is broken because I’m getting text messages from these two guys saying we need you here, there’s no surgeons,” Dr Shaalan told The Irish Times. “They sent me some X-rays and photos to get opinions. But how can I help remotely?
“Most of the teams allowed to enter are ICU [intensive care] or anaesthesia, not surgeons. I’ve also been contacted by local doctors who say the injuries are huge. It’s so upsetting that I can’t be there to help.”
Dr Shaalan spent three weeks volunteering at the European Hospital in Khan Younis a year ago , but has been unable to secure permission from the Israeli authorities to return to Gaza since.
He applied unsuccessfully to return in September and November last year and travelled to Jordan in January, but was refused permission to enter Gaza. There was no explanation for the refusal.
There have been numerous reports of Israeli authorities blocking healthcare workers from entering the besieged area.
However, Dr Shaalan believes his Irish passport may have also contributed to his refusal due to the fractured relationship between Ireland and Israel.
Dr Shaalan is originally from Egypt, but has Irish citizenship and lives in Dublin with his wife and children. He has volunteered as a doctor abroad a number of times, including work in Chad, Cameroon, Burundi, Zanzibar and Tanzania.
The injuries he has witnessed in Gaza are unlike anything he has previously seen in his work.
“The injuries are massive. The majority of my patients last year were women and children, I’d say 70 per cent,” Dr Shaalan said. “And all of them are bombed while they are inside their houses.”
[ Israel launches further air strikes in Gaza Strip in resumed offensive on territory ]
Palestinian doctors working in Gaza’s hospitals are “exhausted and overburdened” and urgently need support from international medics, he said.
Many of these doctors have been stuck inside the strip since the war began in 2023 and have not received updated training in treating conflict related injuries, he said.
“There is a limitation to teaching people in Gaza and the other problem is the medical equipment is not available. They are keen to learn new techniques, we can working together and learn from each other,” Dr Shaalan said.
He is determined to return to Gaza, but is concerned that Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit, which works with international organisations in the region, will continue to refuse him access to the region.
“I have to find a way back, but I’ll need to get approval first. What you see on the TV is not reflecting the reality in Gaza. The reality there is more harsh, the number of patients is huge. Sometimes when I’m alone at night I cry about it.”
Israel’s COGAT unit did not respond to a request for comment from The Irish Times.
