A pediatric surgery specialist and a guest speaker at our university Op. Dr. Taner Kamacı shared his experiences witnessing the genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians during his volunteer mission in Gaza. The event, titled “A Turkish Doctor in Gaza”, was organized by the “Life, Ethics, and Science Community” of AFSÜ and held in the Faculty of Medicine’s Green Hall. Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Adem Aslan, AFSÜ Hospital’s Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ali Tuncer, Head of the Health, Culture, and Sports Department Filiz Özden, Hospital Director Hatip Aydın, many academics, and students attended this meeting.
After the recitation of verses from the Qur’an and the reading of the poem “O Palestine” written by our Rector Prof. Dr. Nurullah Okumuş, Dr. Taner Kamacı was invited to the stage. He spoke about his experiences in Gaza, where he had gone during Ramadan via Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing as part of an international organization. Dr. Kamacı shared his two-week experience in Gaza, where he worked with a team of 25 doctors from various countries at the Gaza European Hospital, which was established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in 1989. He emphasized that the genocide in Gaza perpetrated by Israel continues with increasing intensity.
Hospitals in Gaza are Unable to Provide Medical Services
Dr. Kamacı noted that only medical teams approved by Egypt and the United Nations (UN) are allowed to enter Gaza. He said: “Normally, before the recent attacks, Gaza had 35 hospitals of varying sizes, but almost all of them have been rendered unusable and incapable of providing health services. While we were there, only 3 or 4 hospitals were operational, and surgeries were only being performed in 2 hospitals. Other hospitals were unable to offer health services.
The main medical supply warehouse was in Nasir Hospital, the largest hospital in southern Gaza. Israel set fire to that medical supply depot. Some hospitals lost their doctors, who were martyred or taken away by Israeli forces. It is unclear where they were taken—whether they are dead, alive, imprisoned, or being tortured. In some cases, the hospital buildings remain intact, and the doctors are still there, but the hospitals cannot function because medical supplies are blocked, or they lack sterilization facilities or electricity. As a result, these hospitals are also unable to operate.”
“We were in a hospital between Refah and Han Yunus. In that hospital, electricity was frequently provided by a generator, although it would often cut out. Seawater was running through the taps, though it would often stop as well. Outside the hospital, there was no electricity or running water anywhere. While we were there, Rafah had not been attacked. Unfortunately, it is being attacked now. At that time, planes would come, drop bombs from the air, and leave. There were demolished houses, but the ground forces had not yet entered.
People Are Not Safe Anywhere in Gaza
This is not a war in Gaza because, on one side, Israel has everything. They have cutting-edge aircraft, missiles, bombs, electronic systems, artificial intelligence—everything is in their hands. On the other side, there is a helpless population and the mujahideen. The mujahideen of Gaza are underground, in tunnels. They try to come out and fight from there. They avoid coming out among the people to prevent civilian harm. Meanwhile, Israel comes and bombs civilians, drops bombs on homes. Those who die become martyrs. The survivors, those who are pulled out, are brought to hospitals. The doctors there are trying their best to keep them alive.
In Gaza, people are not safe anywhere—not even in hospitals. However, compared to homes, schools, or mosques, hospitals are reluctantly preferred because they are the last places to be bombed. For this reason, people want to come and live in the hospitals. Every corridor of the hospital is filled with people. Even if their homes have not been destroyed, people who are too scared of being bombed stay in the hospital corridors; those who cannot find space inside live in tents around the hospital.
When I say ‘tents,’ do not think of tents like those from the Red Crescent. They have hung sheets, blankets, or cloth from the hospital ceiling, creating a makeshift barrier. In an area the size of a table, a family with 3-4 children is living, and all the hospital corridors are like this. There is no empty space in the hospital. There are people even in the stairwells, right up to the doors of the intensive care unit and operating rooms. People are trying to live in tents made from whatever they could find—sheets, blankets, plastic around the hospital,.
In Gaza, people have no electricity, no water. There is no production, no activity and no trade. No one has any money, anyway. Doctors and healthcare workers have not received any salary for months. Despite this, they continue working. The public, at least, can stand in line when an aid truck arrives to get some flour, rice, or something. When a water tanker comes, they can join the water queue. However, the doctors and nurses cannot even do this because they cannot leave their work. They are working 24/7 under these conditions.”
What We Call Emergency Cases Here Are Not Considered Emergencies in Gaza
Dr. Kamacı highlighted that the concept of an emergency case in Gaza does not match the standard definition of an emergency and continued: “Only critical patients receive treatment, but most of what we consider emergencies here are not classified as emergencies there. For example, someone might have shrapnel embedded in their leg, with loss of skin, muscle, and tendon. There may be a five cm wound, which would be considered a very serious emergency for us, but it is not an emergency there. You cannot take that person into the operating room and occupy it because patients who could die without immediate intervention are constantly arriving. So, the injured area is quickly washed with saline solution, maybe stitched up on the spot if possible, or if not, it is bandaged and the patient is sent away.
When we arrived, there were seven operating rooms in use, running 24/7. It was a system where patients were continuously being taken into surgery. Sometimes it got to the point where we had to choose between two patients. That was perhaps the most challenging thing for us. For instance, there are two patients: one has been pulled from the rubble, and one has a ruptured spleen. Meanwhile, another has shrapnel that has torn apart their intestines. Both are emergencies, but if you treat one and leave the other, how do you decide? We were forced to choose. By the time you finish treating one, the other might die. We were trying to provide medical care under these conditions.”
Dr. Kamacı also noted that what they were describing occurred in southern Gaza, in an area close to the Rafah border crossing, where the Israeli ground forces had not yet entered and aid was more accessible. He continued: “This is the area where aid reaches the most. Now imagine the north. Aid trucks do not go there. No medical supplies, no support. I cannot even imagine the situation of the people there because what we saw was perhaps 100 times worse than what we saw on television before we went. We turn on the TV, and they show five minutes of coverage. A wounded child or woman is suffering, and five minutes later, the news ends. It is over for us, but that injured person continues to live with their wound. So, whatever is shown on TV or social media, imagine it being 100 times worse in Gaza. That is the reality of how Gaza is trying to survive.
A tanker arrives with water and 200-300 people line up behind it. An anesthesiologist, after a 24-hour shift, instead of going home to sleep, stands in the water queue for three hours to get a bucket of water so their family can drink. At the beginning of the war, when the bakeries were still operating, they would drop off the water at home and then go wait in line for bread to get a few loaves. However, when the bakeries were bombed, those who could find flour began making their own bread. Anyone who found flour considered themselves lucky. Those living outside would light a fire and bake their bread on a metal sheet.”
Finding Rice to Eat is a Great Luxury
During Ramadan, the only thing they ate for iftar and suhoor was bread. Those who were lucky enough to find olives to accompany their bread were considered fortunate. There was no chicken left in Gaza. While we were there, a colleague of ours, a pediatric surgeon, had his house bombed and lost his entire family. He survived with his wife and three children. They were living in the doctor’s room at the hospital. During Ramadan, he said, “You’ve come from outside, you’re our guests, stay with us for iftar.” We responded, “You’re already struggling and can’t find anything.” The association that brought us there was managing to provide for our needs, and we were eating rice every evening. In Gaza, having rice every evening is considered a great luxury. When our colleague insisted on sharing iftar with us, we suggested sharing the bread. The doctor disappeared for a couple of hours, and we wondered where he had gone—he had gone to search for chicken. Some merchants there bribe Israeli authorities to bring in trade goods and trucks, which are then sold inside at ten times the price. Those with money can buy this way. He managed to find a chicken from one of these merchants and brought it back. His wife cooked the chicken for us on an old heater in the doctor’s room for iftar.”
Dr. Kamacı also shared some general information about the situation in Gaza: “I want to talk about the people of Gaza. For example, if you want to go to the toilet, there is one shared toilet with 40 people lined up in front of it. There is one place to take a shower, but it is with seawater, and there is a line of 20-30 people waiting to use it. Despite these conditions, the people are trying to survive, to stand strong. What are the people of Gaza doing in this environment? How are they? Their lives are incomparable to the difficulties I mentioned. I do not think any nation or people in the world could remain as steadfast, patient, and thankful despite such hardships.
From Cairo to Rafah, we saw people at hotels, on the road, and at checkpoints, and none of them was smiling. However, when we entered Gaza, the people welcomed us with smiles. At first, we thought it might be part of a welcoming ceremony, but when we went to the hospital and talked to the doctors and nurses there, it was as if they were not in a pitiable situation at all. On the contrary, they lived with peace of heart, and their smiles never faded. When we asked how they were, they said, ‘Alhamdulillah, we have no problems.’ How could they have no problems? Their country is destroyed, their homes are gone, their loved ones have been martyred, they have no electricity, no water, and no bread. However, they still say, ‘Alhamdulillah.’ And they don’t just say it casually. A person who says it without meaning it might lie with their mouth, but their face wouldn’t show it.”
Palestinians Display Remarkable Resilience
“They are trapped in one place. They cannot go anywhere, and bombs are raining down on them. I used to think they were helpless, just waiting to die. Honestly, I felt sorry for them. However, after meeting the people there, I realized it is not how it appears. They do not die helplessly. They do not see as losses what we perceive as losses. For example, a doctor told me, ‘I worked for 20 years, saved up, and built a house for myself. Israel dropped a bomb, and in five minutes, the whole building collapsed.’ That is all he says. I said, ‘You lost your home.’ He replied, ‘No, I didn’t lose it. I sacrificed it for a sacred cause.’ He is not upset. Of course, anyone would feel sorrow, but they do not dwell on it. He says, ‘I sacrificed it.’ He says, ‘My brother died and went to the highest level of heaven, becoming a neighbour to our Prophet.’ When their homes are destroyed, they say, ‘Something far better will be given to us in paradise.’ They have no doubts. They display extraordinary resilience. There is no ‘Will it happen or will not it?’ They do not doubt it at all. So, what we see as losses, they see as sacrifices, as something they willingly give up.
When people face helpless loss, they grieve, break down, become introverted, fall into depression, or become disillusioned with life. You would not see a smile on their face. However, when it is a willing sacrifice, this is what happens. No one is depressed or demoralized… 95% of them are in this state of mind. Of course, there are some who are affected, but the majority of the people show no signs of depression or demoralization.”
Dr. Kamacı mentioned that after starting to work in Gaza, they gradually got used to the bomb sounds that initially startled them: “For instance, we’d be eating, and bombs would drop very close by. The hospital would shake; doors and windows would slam from the pressure, as if a storm had come. They would just look up and say, ‘Well, since it didn’t fall on us, let’s keep eating.’ If they were chatting, they would continue their conversation. After a week, we started getting used to it too. There are drones constantly flying over Gaza, making loud noises. Israel has been flying them over Gaza for 17 years, like a form of Chinese torture, but the people have gotten used to it. In Gaza, maybe the least needed field is psychiatry or psychology, because no one’s mental health is deteriorating,” he said.
Allah Helps Palestinians Thanks to Their Sacrifice and Faith
Dr. Kamacı concluded his remarks with the following: “Today, if the people of Gaza were to say, ‘O Israel, let’s make a deal. We give up on what we hold sacred. We give up on Al-Aqsa Mosque. Take it, it is yours. If you want to demolish it, go ahead. If you are planning to rebuild the Temple of Solomon, do so. We give up our beliefs. Put a puppet leader over us, just like you have done in other Arab countries. We will hand over our mujahideen, do with them as you please. We surrender,’ Israel would gladly accept such a deal. If they were to say, ‘We’ll give all this up, just stop the war, rebuild the country, support us economically,’ the wealthiest Jews in global finance would make it happen. They could rebuild Gaza, turning it into something like Dubai, with skyscrapers and all the luxury. The people of Gaza could live just as luxuriously as those in Dubai if they chose. However, they do not. They give up neither their faith nor Al-Aqsa Mosque, nor their mujahideen, their own sons. Therefore, they are consciously paying this price.
Giving something willingly is something that truly elevates a person’s worth in the sight of Allah. We all wish they would be freed from these struggles soon. We pray for them, organize meetings, hold marches, stage protests, boycott, and even send part of our own salaries to support them. Why? This is Allah’s help. Allah is softening the hearts of half the world towards them. This is how He helps them. Allah supports the Palestinians thanks to their sacrifices and faith. God willing, the hardships in Gaza will end soon. And may they, God willing, reclaim all of their occupied lands. We pray that these difficulties will end soon.”
The event concluded with a question-and-answer session, a commemorative group photo, and the presentation of a certificate of appreciation to Dr. Taner Kamacı.
Güncelleme Tarihi: 5 Şubat 2025
