Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon, is known to the world as the man standing behind a podium addressing the media surrounded by a pile of dead bodies on October 17, 2023, at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, soon after a deadly explosion at al-Ahli Hospital. The blast killed 471 people and injured 342 according to Gaza health officials. Dr Sittah called it a “massacre” and warned that more hospitals would be targeted. He had arrived in Gaza on October 9 to volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), working at al-Ahli, al-Shifa and al-Awda hospitals. He was the doctor who revealed the practice of performing amputations in Gaza without an-aesthesia, and became a key source of information on the war's impact through his tweets. After returning to the UK, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow, continuing his advocacy against the ongoing genocide. He currently lives in Beirut, treating victims of the war in Lebanon. Dr Sittah spoke to Shahina K.K. about his experiences in Gaza and how the war-altered biosphere affects people's well-being. Excerpts:
In a previous interview, you said that every wound has a narrative on war. Can you tell us more about the politics of war wounds?
This story is from the January 11, 2025 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 11, 2025 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Between Life, Death and Protest
The strain of sustaining a long protest is evident among farmers at Khanauri, but the sense of community remains strong
Protest 2.0
Farmers still have hopes from their leaders, but time is running out. The enemies, in the meanwhile, are sharpening their weapons
Trajectory of Nowhere
In the context of space and time, who are we humans and do we even matter?
All of God's Men
THE ongoing Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj is a spectacle, a photo op, and an emotion and manifestation of the mixing of spirituality and faith.
Embers Rekindled
While the recent death by suicide of a farmer has rendered the mood sombre at Shambhu border, the protests have picked momentum at the call of the unions
Time for Course Correction
What the protest by Punjab's landed peasantry tells us about the state's economy and society
The Untouchable
The ideological chasm between Ambedkar's vision and the Hindutva worldview remains irreconcilable
Frontliners
A day in the life of women protesting at Shambhu border
The Farmer-Composing Antagonist
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at Khanauri border to pressurise the government to fulfil its promises to the farming community
Till Death Do Us Part
Jagjit Singh Dallewal has reinforced how a fast unto death can serve as a warning and an appeal to the public and the government
