'DON'T CALL ME A HERO'

Seeing the plight of innocent children in Gaza, Dr Ana Jeelani knew her medical skills could save lives – here’s what she experienced

- MISHAAL KHAN

Standing in Al Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, in March 2024, a father held his baby up to me. ‘Doctor, please help,’ he pleaded. I was surrounded by desperate parents begging me to help their children – babies, toddlers and teenagers. Some had been rescued from rubble and were badly injured, others were barely breathing. Many had treatable long-term conditions but no access to the medication or therapy they needed. Since last October’s heinous attacks that led to the death of 1,200 Israelis, more than 37,500 adults and 14,600 children have been killed in Gaza*.

Surveying the chaos, I momentarily thought of my life in the UK, the facilities we had and the care we provided at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, where I am a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. The only difference between the children in Gaza and Liverpool was the luck of where they had been born – the injustice of it all was devastating.

Like everyone, in the months after 7 October 2023, I was horrified by what was happening, especially to children. Through colleagues, I’d heard of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a UK-based charity providing healthcare, and although I had never done any humanitarian work before, this time felt different. Treating young patients every day, I couldn’t stop thinking about the children caught up in this war.

While medical aid had thankfully been sent to Ukraine efficiently, and children were evacuated to the UK for treatment, there seemed to be a vacuum of support and no systems in place for medical evacuations for injured or sick children in Palestine. As charities desperately issued call-outs for doctors and volunteers to travel to Gaza, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to help. Two months after applying, I got the confirmation email – I was going to Gaza.