Gaza Volunteer doctors on desperate attempts to save lives

When Dr Ammar Darwish went to Gaza in January 2024 as a volunteer medic, his team narrowly escaped an Israeli airstrike on their accommodation.

- Geneva Abdul

By the time he returned in August, the level of destruction, the severity of patient injuries and the lack of essentials in the territory had significantly worsened.

"Gaza is one of the worst missions that I've done, especially this time around. It has affected me and affected the whole team," said Darwish, a general and major trauma surgeon from Manchester who has also worked in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Ukraine.

"Saving one life is a good enough reason to go back," said Darwish, who returned from a volunteer mission with Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) in Gaza last month.

Nearly a year into the war which began after the 7 October assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel that killed 1,200, mostly civilians - the Guardian spoke to volunteer healthcare workers from the UK who had travelled to Gaza in recent months.

They called on the British government to evacuate patients, apply pressure for an immediate ceasefire, and push for the opening of aid corridors as essential supplies remain at the Egyptian border.