Dr. Azeem Elahi, a pulmonary and critical care physician, and Dr. Nabeel Rana, a vascular surgeon, spoke this past Tuesday to a crowd of Davidson students and staff about their time providing medical aid in Gaza. The event was co-sponsored by The Center for Teaching and Learning, Public Health, Anthropology, French and Latin American Studies Departments.
Both doctors have volunteered multiple times in Gaza, travelling for about a month at a time with different NGOs. During Elahi’s first visit in 2019, he worked at the European Gaza Hospital. Rana, inspired by Elahi, travelled with the NGO Humanity Axilium and volunteered at the Al-Asqa Hospital in July 2024.
Rana returned to work in Nasser Hospital, one of Gaza’s only remaining medical facilities, in October 2024. Rana began the talk with descriptions of what he witnessed while working at the hospital.
“There were injuries that I had seen a couple times in my entire career that were happening every single day,” Rana said.
Each day, Rana made the best of inadequate resources to treat catastrophic wounds on dozens of patients.
“There were no facilities, no beds. We were using delivery rooms as operating rooms with no lights. We had no sutures, we had no equipment, no supplies, no sterile gowns,” Rana said. “As you’re walking through the hospital, you can’t even walk on empty ground because of patients. Patients are being placed everywhere, inside, outside the courtyard, and displaced families are living in the halls of the hospital.”
For years, organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Research and Information Project have called Gaza “the largest open air prison.” Elahi showed the crowd a map of Gaza. “Gaza is landlocked on all sides, entirely fenced in with a military blockade that controls the sea,” he said.
Nicole Akall ’29, an international student from the West Bank who attended the talk, confirmed how closed off Gaza is. “My house is around eight miles away from Gaza. I would wake up to a really loud noise from the military aircrafts. But I don’t have any access to [Gaza] because of the divide.”
Today, the only entry point into Gaza is through the northern Erez crossing. It is heavily guarded by Israeli forces and getting access is near impossible.
“The United Nations and World Health Organization combined are allowed two crossings per week with only 25 personnel entering from the entire world. Within those 25 about five to seven are healthcare personnel,” Rana said.
Once allowed entry, Israeli authorities pick apart all the luggage and remove anything they deem unfit for Gazans.
“It’s painful because you open up your suitcase and realize half of the supplies that you needed have disappeared,” Elahi said. “Put medical supplies aside; infant formula, can that be used in war? Not sure what anyone would do with infant formula, other than feed hungry children and babies.”
Blocking all external aid has worsened the medical crisis in Gaza. Both doctors discussed how easily treatable conditions, like diabetes, are suddenly becoming life threatening diseases. “I can’t tell you how many kids are coming to the ICU, completely unrelated to the bombs,” Rana said.
Diminishing resources coupled with the growing volume of patients made it impossible to provide basic needs. “You’re sending patients home with open wounds and incisions just to make room for the next wave that’s going to come. And that was a constant, constant, never ending cycle,” Rana continued.
Despite existing in this debilitating cycle for over two years, the doctors continually emphasized how strong and gracious everyone they met in Gaza was. “They just excel in ability, talent, motivation and kindness,” Rana said. “It’s amazing how they’re still advancing and flourishing as best they can under such an oppressive system.”
Elahi noted that Gazans have a 94% literacy rate, one of the highest in the world.
Akall appreciated the doctors’ focus on Gazans’ humanity. “The way the doctors shifted the attention to Gazans and how strong they are as people, rather than themselves, was very humble of them.”
In an interview with The Davidsonian, both doctors spoke extensively about the rare moments of peace and calm. “One day we went to the beach. It was just a few blocks from the hospital, absolutely beautiful. And there were kids playing, trying to find some moment of happiness,” Rana recalled.
Elahi smiled. “Somehow half of my photos [from my trip] are of kites, just what the kids are doing to occupy their time.”
Elahi said the happy memories were tainted by the constant reminder of surveillance. “When you watch my videos it’s this weird dichotomy of this beautiful site, a kite in the sky. But in the background there is the noise of the drone, a constant buzzing, humming, terrorizing sound.”
Rana expressed a similar sentiment. “There’s always some reminder there that [Israel is] watching you. You’re not safe. Even when you’re sitting on the beach, closing your eyes, enjoying the breeze. You open your eyes and in the distance, you can see the silhouette of warships parked out in the ocean and you realize, this is their normal life.”