“The main aim of this war was to turn Gaza into an uninhabitable death world”

Experienced British-Palestinian plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah has returned to the UK from Gaza to provide eyewitness account of what he saw and experienced as a volunteer at al-Ahli and al-Shifa hospitals in the besieged strip.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday organised by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in London, he said that Israel’s 19 October bombing of the the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which is run by the Anglican church and has strong international ties, served as a “litmus test for what they had planned to do to the rest of the health system”.

According to Middle East Eye,
"during the press conference, Abu Sittah shared footage and images he collected during his time in Gaza. The war surgeon also said that he has agreed to work with Scotland Yard to provide witness evidence for what legal experts and human rights groups say are war crimes that Israel has committed over the past few weeks during its assault on the besieged strip.

Hospitals have repeatedly come under threat since the start of Israel’s bombardment campaign in Gaza. At least 22 hospitals, including some in the south, were told by the Israeli army to evacuate or be targeted.

Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, with more than half of them being women and children, and has also left entire neighbourhoods in rubble."