Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Akhter’s recent letter, The
Special Role of Medics in the Gaza Crisis (1). As a Gaza
war evacuee, I am often left speechless by such
supportive words. As a public health research scholar, it
is a duty to historicise these events, especially from my
unique perspective. I have been specialising in Gaza
Public Health Reform since 2020 (2), when my younges
joined her siblings as a medical student at the Islamic
University of Gaza (which no longer stands). The
destruction of the healthcare and medical education
systems and the deaths of classmates, professors and
healthcare professionals (which include family) make
this research topic deeply personal (3), thereby causing
delays in my ability to document necessary scholarly
works.
As a Muslim public health professional, resources like
the Journal of the British Islamic Medical Association
(JBIMA) has enabled me to articulate my loss for words.
I applaud Akhter’s current call for humanitarian aid
organisations to coordinate services to best serve Gaza’s
dire needs(1). I also praise El-Banna’s call for the
Muslim medical community in the UK to consider
joining medical missions, written in JBIMA’s April 2019
debut issue (4).
El-Banna opened with an ayah in the Qur’an, justifying
his call to action as an Islamic duty of sorts. I commend
JBIMA’s board, editorial staff, and authors for adhering
to the scope of this journal since its inception (5). Most
strikingly, I am beholden to JBIMA’s continuous and
collective efforts to create a publication platform for our
community’s unique needs while attracting and
maintaining our unique voice. I wholeheartedly agree
with the call for more medical missions to help tell
Gaza’s story (6). Notable examples include:
- An Australian Muslim doctor shared how Gazans
are “not normal” with their faith, resilience, and
ability to smile despite the devastation (7). - An American non-Muslim nurse saying she
would go back “in a heartbeat” and that the
Gazan medical professionals who chose to stay
are “heroes” (8).
Based on a recent mission, a British non-Muslim GP
(general practitioner), with a speciality in public health,
said Gaza will need 2-3 decades, not years, of recovery
work (9). Therefore, medical aid missions to Gaza are
crucial right now and for the unforeseeable future.
Hence, I earnestly implore you to volunteer today.
Acknowledgements:
The author would like to thank Hafsa Shah, Samiha
Ahmed, WS Chan, and ZM Sabra for their reviews and
assistance.
References
- Akhter M. The Special Role of Medics in the Gaza
Crisis. JBIMA. 2024 Apr 30;16(6).
https://www.jbima.com/article/the-special-role-of-
medics-in-the-gaza-crisis/ - Mahayosnand PP, Sabra ZA, Sabra DM. COVID
and Gaza: The Ideal Time to Establish a Medical Reserve
Corps of Public Health Preventive Medicine Specialists.
Health Security. 2021 Apr 8;19(2):235
https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2020.0192 - Mahayosnand PP, Chan WS. 2024. Can Online
Petitions (e-Petitions), Open Letters, and Calls from
Medical Doctors and Health Academics Influence a Gaza
2023-24 War Ceasefire and End of the Occupation?
JBIMA, forthcoming. - El-Banna H. Humanitarian Medical Projects
Message to the Muslim Medical Community in the UK.
JBIMA. 2019 Apr 29;1(1).
https://www.jbima.com/article/humanitarian
projects/ - Scope of Journal | Journal of the British Islamic
Medical Association [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2024 Jul 10].
Available from: https://www.jbima.com/scope
journal/ - Refaat in Gaza @itranslate123 If I must die, let it be a
tale. #FreePalestine #Gaza - https://x.com/itranslate123/status/1719701312990830934
2023; Nov 1. [cited 2024 Jul 10 ] [Tweet]. Available
from: https://x.com/itranslate123 - Bhimani A. Australian Doctor REVEALS Experience
INSIDE Gaza [Internet]. YouTube: OnePath Network;
2024 May 23 [cited 2024 Jul 10]. Video: 28:11.
Available from:
https://youtu.be/pynvwAli_yo?si=2HDqiyw - Callahan E. American nurse who got out of Gaza
describes desperation she saw [Internet]. YouTube:
CNN; 2023 Nov 6 [cited 2024 Jul 10]. Vide
Available from:k
- Ferguson A. Doctor in Gaza: “I’ve never experienced
anything like it” [Internet]. You
2024 Feb 14 [cited 2024 Jul 10]. Video: 8:23. Available
from:zK
