Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a volunteer and board member at Medglobal, an organization that provides medical aid to vulnerable populations worldwide — including Gaza.
"We're doing daily meals for the health care workers at the various hospitals. So 500 daily meals delivered because these are people who are working around the clock. There is no off-time. There is no lunch break. There is nothing that they're able to do — they're not able to go home."
Since the latest conflict began, the Chicago-area nonprofit has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for humanitarian aid in Gaza and has delivered over 60,000 liters of fuel to 11 hospitals across the Gaza Strip to keep the lights on.
It also has truckloads of medical supplies ready to cross into Gaza.
"We want the doctors to be equipped to be able to do surgery on people who have injuries from the trauma, and we want the doctors to be able to give antibiotics to people who have infections ravaging their bodies," said Ahmad.
Ahmad has five Medglobal friends and colleagues currently in Gaza City.
He says their hospital has been treating dozens of injured people after an explosion at another nearby hospital.
"What they're describing are people on the side of the building, on the floor, agonizing in pain, wounded, you know, hurt. And so, you know, it sounds like chaos," said Ahmad.
He communicates daily with his colleagues on Zoom and Whatsapp, and they also say they are overworked. They tell him they are beyond exhausted and forced to make extremely difficult choices with the bare supplies they have.
"They don't have pain medicine to give to the kids as they are trying to heal their wounds and treat their burns," said Ahmad.
Ahmad, who has gone to Gaza on medical missions multiple times, says he tries his best to help and comfort his colleagues.
But he also feels guilty being so far away.
"There's this incredible amount of survivor's guilt that, you know, that your people are suffering, that they are not having any sort of peace and that there are bombs being dropped on their heads. And at the end of the day, I'm going to go outside, get into my car and go home and be very safe," he said.
Ben Schamisso
