Pediatrician Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan on What She Saw While Working in Gaza Hospital

[Uncle Joe]

Almost six months into Israel's assault, Gaza's health sector has been completely decimated. Before October 7, Gaza had 36 hospitals. Now only two are minimally functional, and 10 are partially functional, according to the United Nations. The rest have shut down completely after either being shelled, besieged and raided by Israeli troops, or running out of fuel and medicine. Israel's assault has killed over 32,500 Palestinians, including over 14,000 children, and wounded nearly 75,000. We speak with Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care physician who just spent two weeks volunteering and living at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza, about what she witnessed and the conditions of healthcare in the beleaguered and devastated territory. "This is not a humanitarian crisis. This is the worst of what humanity is capable of, and it's entirely all man-made," says Haj-Hassan. "This is an utter and complete failure of humanity, and, to be frank, I feel ashamed to be an American citizen. I feel ashamed to be part of a society that has allowed this to continue."

[claudette]

1. I'm with her

I am ashamed that my country hasn't done more to stop this. And, that this isn't the headline on every newspaper, every day.

[Gaugamela]

2. If only the US had some influence and leverage . . .

[Earth-shine]

3. Instead of acknowledging what is actually happening, let's argue over the definition of the word "genocide."

It doesn't matter whether or not it fits the dictionary definition of the word.

>> This is the worst of what humanity is capable of, and it's entirely all man-made

Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages
gen·o·cide
/ˈjenəˌsīd/
noun: genocide; plural noun: genocides

the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.