Daniel Benneworth-Gray
I worked as a trauma surgeon in Gaza from March 25 to April 8. I’ve volunteered in Ukraine and Haiti, and I grew up in Flint, Mich. I’ve seen violence and worked in conflict zones. But of the many things that stood out about working in a hospital in Gaza, one got to me: Nearly every day I was there, I saw a new young child who had been shot in the head or the chest, virtually all of whom went on to die. Thirteen in total.
At the time, I assumed this had to be the work of a particularly sadistic soldier located nearby. But after returning home, I met an emergency medicine physician who had worked in a different hospital in Gaza two months before me. “I couldn’t believe the number of kids I saw shot in the head,” I told him. To my surprise, he responded: “Yeah, me, too. Every single day.”
An enormous amount of information about the extent of the devastation in Gaza has been gleaned from satellite data, humanitarian organizations and Gaza’s Ministry of Health. However, Israel does not allow journalists or human rights investigators into Gaza outside of a very small number of embedded reporting trips with the Israeli military, and stories from Palestinian journalists in Gaza have not been read widely enough, despite the incredible risks they take in reporting there.
But there is a group of independent observers who have seen this war from the ground, day after day: volunteer health care workers.
Through personal contacts in the medical community and a good deal of searching online, I was able to get in touch with American health care workers who have served in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Many have familial or religious ties to the Middle East. Others, like me, do not, but felt compelled to volunteer in Gaza for a variety of reasons.
Using questions based on my own observations and my conversations with fellow doctors and nurses, I worked with Times Opinion to poll 65 health care workers about what they had seen in Gaza. Fifty-seven, including myself, were willing to share their experiences on the record. The other eight participated anonymously, either because they have family in Gaza or the West Bank, or because they fear workplace retaliation.
This is what we saw.
44 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw multiple cases of preteen children who had been shot in the head or chest in Gaza.
9 did not
12 did not regularly treat children in an emergency context
Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-NuwarGeneral, bariatric and foregut surgeon, 36 years old, Pittsburgh, Pa.
“One night in the emergency department, over the course of four hours, I saw six children between the ages of 5 and 12, all with single gunshot wounds to the skull.”
Nina NgEmergency nurse, 37 years old, New York City, N.Y.
“Pediatric gunshot-wound patients were treated on the floor, often bleeding out on the floor of the hospital due to lack of space, equipment, staff and support. Many died unnecessarily.”
Dr. Mark PerlmutterOrthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“I saw several children shot with high velocity bullet wounds, in both the head and chest.”
Dr. Irfan GalariaPlastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“Our team cared for about four or five children, ages 5 to 8 years old, that were all shot with single shots to the head. They all presented to the emergency room at the same time. They all died.”
Rania AfanehParamedic, 23 years old, Savannah, Ga.
“I saw a child who had been shot in the jaw. No other part of his body was affected. He was fully awake and aware of what was going on. He stared at me while he choked on his own blood as I tried to suction the blood out with a broken suction unit.”
Dr. Khawaja IkramOrthopedic surgeon, 53 years old, Dallas, Texas
“One day, while in the E.R., I saw a 3-year-old and 5-year-old, each with a single bullet hole to their head. When asked what happened, their father and brother said they had been told that Israel was backing out of Khan Younis. So they returned to see if anything was left of their house. There was, they said, a sniper waiting who shot both children.”
Dr. Ahlia KattanAnesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“I saw an 18-month-old little girl with a gunshot wound to the head.”
Dr. Ndal FarahAnesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“I saw many children. In my experience the gunshot wound was often to the head. Many had non-curable, permanent brain damage. It was almost a daily occurrence to have children arrive at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the head.”
Times Opinion sent questions about the experiences of these American health care workers to the Israel Defense Forces. A spokesperson for the I.D.F. responded with a statement that did not directly answer whether or not the military had investigated reports of shootings of preteen children, or if any disciplinary action had been taken against soldiers for firing at children. The statement began, “The I.D.F. is committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity. In that spirit, the I.D.F. makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes. The I.D.F. is fully committed to respecting all applicable international legal obligations, including the Law of Armed Conflict.”
63 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed severe malnutrition in patients, Palestinian medical workers and the general population.
2 did not
Merril TydingsFlight, emergency and critical care nurse, 44 years old, Santa Fe, N.M.
“These people were starving. I learned very quickly to not drink my water or eat the food I had brought in front of the health care workers because they had gone so many days without.”
Dr. Ndal FarahAnesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“Malnutrition was widespread. It was common to see patients reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps with skeletal features.”
Abeerah MuhammadEmergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“Everyone we met showed us pictures of themselves before October. They had all lost 20 to 60 pounds of weight. Most patients and staff looked emaciated and dehydrated.”
Asma TahaPediatric nurse practitioner, 57 years old, Portland, Ore.
“The head of the NICU, in particular, was almost unrecognizable — he had lost nearly half of his body weight compared to his prewar appearance. These changes were not just physical; they reflected the emotional and psychological toll the conflict had taken on those dedicated to caring for others, even as they struggled with their own personal losses and challenges.”
Dr. Nahreen AhmedPulmonary and critical care doctor, 40 years old, Philadelphia, Pa.
“Every patient I treated had evidence of malnutrition. For example, poor wound healing and rapidly developing infections.”
Dr. Aman OdehPediatrician, 40 years old, Austin, Texas
“Mothers on the maternity ward delivered prematurely because of malnutrition, stress and infection. Milk production was poor due to lack of hydration and adequate food supply.”
Dr. Mike MallahTrauma, critical care and general surgeon, 40 years old, Charleston, S.C.
“All of my patients were suffering from malnutrition, 100 percent.”
Dr. Deborah WeidnerGeneral, child and adolescent psychiatrist, 58 years old, Hartford, Conn.
“The patients were very thin. I could see that their pants were too big, and their belts had been tightened.”
52 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed nearly universal psychiatric distress in young children and saw some who were suicidal or said they wished they had died.
10 did not
3 did not regularly work with children
Dr. Mimi SyedEmergency medicine doctor, 44 years old, Olympia, Wash.
“One 4-year-old girl with major burns to her body was completely dissociated. She was staring out into space, humming a lullaby to herself. Not crying, but shaking and in utter shock.”
Dr. Ahlia KattanAnesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“Every child I spent time with looked to me as a mother, for safety. They were lacking emotional security and physical security and it was very obvious to us from the way they clung to us and asked us to take them home in our suitcases.”
Dr. Tanya Haj-HassanPediatric critical care doctor, 39 years old
“One child who had lost all his family wished he had been killed, too, saying: ‘Everyone I love is in heaven. I don’t want to be here anymore.’”
Laura SwobodaWound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“At one point while doing rounds on wound patients in the pediatric ward, the head nurse grabbed my arm and begged us to bring psychiatric help for them the next time we came.”
Dr. Feroze SidhwaTrauma, critical care and general surgeon, 42 years old, Lathrop, Calif.
“Most children certainly enjoyed moments of happiness, but in general the children were frightened, on edge, desperate, hungry, thirsty and disoriented. One severely injured child, a young boy with a right leg amputation and broken right arm and left leg, repeatedly asked his mother why he couldn’t have died with his other family members.”
Abeerah MuhammadEmergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“I treated multiple children with explosive and shrapnel injuries. Many children exhibited stoicism and did not cry even when in pain; this is an unusual psychological response in a child. We were forced to suture many lacerations without anesthetic, and children would be listless while we did this instead of resisting. I saw children who had witnessed many family members be killed in front of them. They all expressed the wish to be dead and join their families. I saw preteen and teenage children who had evidence of self-harm such as cutting on their forearms.”
Dr. Mohammed Al-JaghbeerPulmonary and critical care doctor, 41 years old, Ohio
“Many children would not speak for days, even with their family at bedside. One child would not accept a gift I brought of a little plastic car, because she did not want to touch or talk to anyone but her father.”
Dr. Adam HamawyPlastic and reconstructive surgeon, 55 years old, South Brunswick, N.J.
“Children who lost limbs and could not run or play specifically said they wished they had died, and some wanted to kill themselves.”
Dr. Mark PerlmutterOrthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“Many said that they wished the next bomb would just hit them to put an end to their torture.”
Rania AfanehParamedic, 23 years old, Savannah, Ga.
“A child was brought in with her father after their home was bombed. Her father lay naked, covered by a thin plastic sheet in the bed next to her, unable to move while he listened to her screams. She was injured, but she wasn't screaming in pain. She was screaming for her mother and father, and was afraid until I put her in my lap and comforted her until she fell asleep.”
Dr. Talal Ali KhanNephrologist and internist, 40 years old, Oklahoma City, Okla.
“Many children in Gaza are not like normal kids. It seems like their childhood is wiped away. No smiles, no eye contact. They even don’t play like regular kids. I saw them just sitting and staring at their hands or their water bottles, not willing to interact with anybody.”
25 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw babies who had been born healthy return to hospitals and die from dehydration, starvation or infections caused by their malnourished mothers’ inability to breastfeed and a lack of infant formula and clean water.
8 did not
32 did not work with newborns
Laura SwobodaWound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“Infants that would normally survive in resource-rich settings died in Gaza. An infant that our pediatric cardiologist tended to overnight passed away, and later that day I saw the family carry out the small body wrapped in a medical surgical drape.”
Dr. Arham AliPediatric critical care doctor, 38 years old, Loma Linda, Calif.
“Starved mothers would report to the I.C.U. begging for formula to feed their newborn children. Newborn babies only a few hours or days old would present to the hospital severely dehydrated, infected and hypothermic. Many babies died from these conditions which were 100 percent preventable deaths.”
Merril TydingsFlight, emergency and critical care nurse, 44 years old, Santa Fe, N.M.
“It is very simple. A baby born to a malnourished mother is going to have difficulty thriving and growing with a continued lack of nutrients.”
Abeerah MuhammadEmergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“There were hundreds of displaced families living in and around the hospital. The babies showed signs of acute dehydration including lethargy, sunken fontanels and eyes, no tears when crying and not producing urine.”
Monica JohnstonBurn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“One mother was discharged two hours after she gave birth. I saw her on my walk to the hospital a few days later and she was begging me for infant formula because she couldn’t produce enough milk.”
Asma TahaPediatric nurse practitioner, 57 years old, Portland, Ore.
“Every day, desperate families stopped by pleading for just a single can of formula to feed their starving newborns. Sadly, with supplies severly limited, we were often unable to meet their urgent needs.”
Dr. Aman OdehPediatrician, 40 years old, Austin, Texas
“I worked in a neonatal I.C.U. Several infants died every day due to lack of medical supplies and appropriate nutrition. We had to make tough decisions about which very sick baby would be on the ventilator due to lack of equipment. I saw a family bringing in their dead 3-day-old infant who had been living in a tent.”
53 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw many children suffering from easily preventable infections, some of whom died from them.
1 did not
11 did not regularly work with children with infections
Dr. Mark PerlmutterOrthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“Children with relatively minor injuries, including fractures and burns, succumbed to their injuries when even in developing countries they could have easily been saved.”
Abeerah MuhammadEmergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“Women and girls were using tent scraps and pieces of diapers, towels and cloth as menstrual pads and acquiring toxic shock syndrome.”
Dr. Irfan GalariaPlastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“One hundred percent of my surgical patients developed infections. The wounds were dirty given the nature of the injury — rubble, debris.”
Dr. Ahlia KattanAnesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“Multiple young patients had amputations that became infected. Poor wound healing from lack of sanitation and nutrition led to further amputations.”
Monica JohnstonBurn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“Nearly all new children admitted during my time died. Almost all of these deaths would not have happened if we had proper nutrition, infection control abilities (as simple as soap and hand sanitizer) and adequate supplies.”
Dr. Adam HamawyPlastic and reconstructive surgeon, 55 years old, South Brunswick, N.J.
“Nearly all the children that I cared for suffered from severe malnutrition. This resulted in difficulty healing from surgery and high infection rates. The mortality rate for injured children that I cared for was nearly 80 percent.”
Wilhelmi MassayCritical care and trauma nurse, 50 years old
“The total lack of medical equipment and supplies made patients die from preventable infections.”
64 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed that even the most basic medical necessities, like soap and gloves, were usually unavailable in Gaza.
1 did not
Dr. Ndal FarahAnesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“We did surgery without drapes or surgical gowns. We reused equipment that should be disposable. I have been in other war zones, but this was exponentially worse than anything I’ve ever seen.”
Brenda MaldonadoEmergency nurse, 58 years old, Vancouver, Wash.
“Babies and children would come in with gunpowder burns from explosives — which are very painful — and we had zero of the proper pain medications or burn ointment to put on their wounds.”
Monica JohnstonBurn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“No I.V. caps for central lines, which left the port open and exposed to germs. No soap or hand sanitizer. No supplies to clean patients up, in bed, after they soiled themselves. I cleaned stool with a wad of cotton balls, which was a horrible, horrible mess.”
Dr. Ayman Abdul-GhaniCardiothoracic surgeon, 57 years old, Honolulu, Hawaii
“Sterilization was awful in the operating room. There were flies all over the place. There was sewage water on the hospital grounds where people were sheltering.”
Dr. Mohammed Al-JaghbeerPulmonary and critical care doctor, 41 years old, Ohio
“Many wounds were infected due to lack of proper hygienic supplies. For the first time in my career, I saw fly maggots coming out of wounds.”
Dr. Ammar GhanemPulmonary and critical care doctor, 54 years old, Detroit, Mich.
“We did not have P.P.E., including gloves, alcohol, gowns and soap. Flies were everywhere, transfering resistant bacteria and infections among patients. Patients who survived trauma died from infection.”
Dr. Irfan GalariaPlastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“I performed surgery with primitive sets of instruments. There was no pain medication for dressing changes or post-surgical patients left on the floor.”
Nina NgEmergency nurse, 37 years old, New York City, N.Y.
“We frequently took care of patients without gloves or proper hand hygiene — I had these resources in poor countries like Haiti.”
Dr. Mark PerlmutterOrthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“If it wasn’t for the medical supplies that we brought in with us, there would have been none to use. Both the excessive morbidity and mortality attributed to just the lack of soap and proper sterilization was immeasurable.”
Dr. Mohamad AbdelfattahPulmonary and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Tustin, Calif.
“Infections spread throughout the I.C.U., and all of the ventilators were colonized with very resistant bacteria. Most people on ventilators developed severe pneumonias.”
Dr. Mimi SyedEmergency medicine doctor, 44 years old, Olympia, Wash.
“We reused nearly every piece of medical equipment — even those that are not meant to be reused — which led to infections. There were no antibiotics. Many times we ran out of running water, and power would go out in the hospital. We could not wash our hands.”
Laura SwobodaWound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“Nearly every wound I saw was infected. I saw more maggots in one day than I had in my entire career as a wound specialist.”
What American physicians and nurses saw firsthand in Gaza should inform the United States’ Gaza policy. The lethal combination of what Human Rights Watch describes as indiscriminate military violence, what Oxfam calls the deliberate restriction of food and humanitarian aid, near-universal displacement of the population, and destruction of the health care system is having the calamitous effect that many Holocaust and genocide scholars warned of nearly a year ago.
American law and policy have long forbidden the transfer of weapons to nations and military units engaged in gross violations of human rights, especially — as a 2023 update to the United States Conventional Arms Transfer Policy makes clear — when those violations are directed at children. It is difficult to conceive of more severe violations of this standard than young children regularly being shot in the head, newborns and their mothers starving because of blocked food aid and demolished water infrastructure, and a health care system that has been destroyed.
For the past 12 months, it has been well within our government’s power to stop the flow of U.S. military aid to Israel. Instead, we fueled the fire at almost every opportunity, shipping over 50,000 tons of military equipment, ammunition and weaponry since the start of the war, according to a late-August update from the Israeli Defense Ministry. This amounts to an average of more than 10 transport planes and two cargo ships of arms per week.
Now, after more than a year of devastation, estimates of Palestinian deaths range from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. The International Rescue Committee describes Gaza as “the most dangerous place in the world to be an aid worker, as well as the most dangerous place to be a civilian.” UNICEF rates Gaza as “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.” Oxfam reports that in Al-Mawasi, the area Israel has designated as the humanitarian safe zone in Gaza, there is one toilet for every 4,130 people. At least 1,470 Israelis have been killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the following war. Half of the hostages who remain in Gaza are reportedly dead. And, while American officials blame Hamas for prolonging the war and hindering negotiations, Israeli news outlets consistently report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sabotaged cease-fire talks with both Hamas and Hezbollah while recklessly escalating the conflict instead of reaching an agreement that could achieve many of Israel’s stated war aims, including the release of Israeli hostages.
Was this ghastly outcome for the Palestinians and Israel worth corrupting the rule of law in our own society? Certainly, the Biden-Harris administration can’t say they didn't know what they were doing. Eight sitting U.S. senators, 88 members of the House of Representatives, 185 lawyers (including dozens working in the administration), and 12 civil servants (who resigned in protest of our Gaza policy) have told the administration that continuing to arm Israel is illegal under U.S. law. In September, ProPublica reported the lengths to which the Biden-Harris administration went to avoid complying with the laws that define clear consequences for countries, like Israel, that are blocking humanitarian aid. In these pages, the journalist and commentator Peter Beinart recently suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris can “signal a clear break” with the current administration’s disastrous Gaza policy during her run for president. How? “Ms. Harris should simply say that she’ll enforce the law.”
Together, Israel and the United States are turning Gaza into a howling wilderness. But it’s never too late to change course: We could stop Israel’s use of our weapons, ammunition, jet fuel, intelligence and logistical support by withholding them, and we could stanch the flow of weapons to all sides by announcing an international arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups. Enforcing American laws that require halting military aid to Israel would be a move with widespread support: humanitarian organizations, dozens of members of Congress, a majority of Americans and an overwhelming majority of U.N. member states all agree.
The horror must end. The United States must stop arming Israel.
And afterward, we Americans need to take a long, hard look at ourselves.
Comments 440Skip to Comments
The comments section is closed. To submit a letter to the editor for publication, write to letters@nytimes.com.
Reader PicksAll
H commented October 9
H
H
US
Oct. 9
Thank you for this piece. A much needed article in western media. A media that has glossed over one of the greatest horrors of our time, one that goes against every human value we believe in as a country. Social media is filled every day with the same evidence presented in this article documented on video as well. We must all stand as human beings first to stop this ongoing tragedy. We must stop arming the perpetrators that confirm their intentions without shame everyday as is widely reported.
6 Replies1993 RecommendShareFlag
Yvonne commented October 9
Y
Yvonne
Germany
Oct. 9
Why is this an “opinion” piece? This is news. It is painful but important to know about the fate of the children in Gaza. These healthcare workers are sources for a news story, not sideline commentators.
Additionally, I hope the doctors have the time and resources to save the bullets and the images of these crimes. One hopes a future inquiry will pursue the individual soldiers and their unit commanders.
9 Replies1977 RecommendShareFlag
SixplusFour commented October 9
S
SixplusFour
Dallas
Oct. 9
Israel has never been shy about its willingness to impose collective punishment on civilians, everything from razing the homes of elderly relatives of militants to the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure to starving an entire civilian population.
These types of things are clear violations of international law and war crimes when committed during military conflicts.
The US government seems to not worry about its inherent complicity despite the severe damage it does to its global image.
3 Replies1509 RecommendShareFlag
ADK commented October 9
A
ADK
Essex
Oct. 9
When I.D.F. forces shot and killed three bare chested hostages waving a white flag I suspected that random killing was condoned. After reading this article describing single shot head and chest wounds to children and a complete shut down of medical care, medical supplies and food I am now convinced that this is policy. The Israelis should take a long hard look in the mirror and see what they have become.
1466 RecommendShareFlag
penney albany commented October 9
p
penney albany
berkeley CA
Oct. 9
Palestinians and observers have tried to tell their stories of abuse by Israel and no one wanted to listen. Now will we finally understand what they have been going through?
1296 RecommendShareFlag
Tim Hathaway commented October 9
T
Tim Hathaway
CA
Oct. 9
A wounded Palastinian child stares at the camera and asks 'what did I do? I did not do anything to deserve this. Why is this happening to me?' Nearby is bomb shrapnel marked "MADE IN USA'. These atrocities of death and destruction of a people and country is being perpetrated by a country and its government that experienced one of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century. This is not even old testament. This is not even 'an eye for an eye'. This is thousand eyes for an eye. When is enough, enough? This looks like Israel is trying to turn Gaza into the Riviera of the Eastern Med through mass military 'urban renewal' and genocide. No more 'Israel right or wrong'. Enough is enough. End this inhumanity now.
5 Replies1273 RecommendShareFlag
Emil commented October 9
E
Emil
North Cackalacky
Oct. 9
Shame on the US for supporting this violence. Shame on every country supporting Israel. Shame on the IDF. Shame on Israel. And shame on news media for not reporting heavily on this issue sooner.
1255 RecommendShareFlag
Motor City Acadian commented October 9
Motor City Acadian
Motor City Acadian
Montreal
Oct. 9
´´ If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.´´
- Bishop Desmond Tutu
1031 RecommendShareFlag
Philippe Egalité commented October 9
P
Philippe Egalité
Le Monde
Oct. 9
Israel has no moral high ground - and has not for many decades now. The continuously unfolding tragedy in the Middle East may not be something that the United States can solve - but it most certainly should not be supporting these cruel belligerents in any way, whatsoever - much less militarily. This applies also to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other regimes whose actions have been inconscionable.
1 Reply1017 RecommendShareFlag
DJ commented October 9
D
DJ
Quito
Oct. 9
The most horrific war in our times. Every single rule of Humanitarian Law violated. By the most educated people in the Middle East, themselves victims of horrific crimes in the XX Century. Is this widespread child and civilian killing not enough for the US to stop providing weapons to the perpetrators? What moral standing is it projecting to the rest of the world?
6 Replies940 RecommendShareFlag
PK commented October 9
P
PK
NYC
Oct. 9
Am I the only one who is simultaneously heartbroken and furious that the Israeli are perpetrating such horrors? And there is the West Bank and now Lebanon. When will the world make them stop this inhumane rampage?
890 RecommendShareFlag
Maria commented October 9
M
Maria
Atlanta
Oct. 9
How can anyone can support or look the other way on Israel's war crimes escapes me.
The fact that the depravity of these actions are paid for with my tax dollars and my country granting "legitimacy" nauseates me.
833 RecommendShareFlag
Jack Straw commented October 9
J
Jack Straw
Wichita
Oct. 9
Thank you to the Times for publishing the cold hard facts. Murder of innocent children is the worst form of murder. The State of Israel came into being because of international support. That support will vanish because of such actions. We Americans, who have steadfastly supported the existence of Israel, should be wise enough to stop Israel from becoming a pariah state devoid of any credibility.
4 Replies828 RecommendShareFlag
kathiw commented October 9
k
kathiw
Kansas City
Oct. 9
As a human being and former pediatric nurse, this article brought me to tears. Gaza was not an easy place to live prior to the war and its unfathomable now. I am sure these brave volunteer medical professionals will have PTSD for some time to come and are so very courageous to have helped under these incredibly difficult conditions. I will never understand, given their history, how Israeli soldiers can do these things to the innocent children. Thank you for this article, hopefully will open some eyes to these atrocities.
4 Replies788 RecommendShareFlag
Max commented October 9
M
Max
San Diego
Oct. 9
This article is appalling. The Israeli are out of control. They need to be stop. They have no justification for what they have done. The heirs of the Holocaust survivors should be ashamed. They are acting like their prosecutors 90 years ago. Biden and Harris are responsabile and that’s horrible. All those deaths, what a catastrophe. What a sadness. Unbelievable what humans are able to do.
703 RecommendShareFlag
R. Carroll commented October 9
R
R. Carroll
Huntsville AL
Oct. 9
I have been a supporter of Israel since I was old enough to have understood Hitler's extermination of Jews.
In the past year I have discovered the evil of Netanyahu and his right wing extremists, and I have witnessed the obvious lack of empathy from many Israelis to the plight of the many innocent people in Gaza and the Weest Bank as part of defending Netanyahu.
I have a quite different opinion of Israel now, although I do think there are good Israelis who do not agree with Netanyahu.
678 RecommendShareFlag
DeWil from Ohio commented October 9
D
DeWil from Ohio
Ohio
Oct. 9
This was shocking, painful to read, so much unspeakable suffering, and it is being done in the name of what? When it finally comes to an end do the people who experienced it as victims or prerpetrators go home and live happily ever after? I think not.
670 RecommendShareFlag
Jay Orchard commented October 9
J
Jay Orchard
Miami Beach
Oct. 9
I view all reports of alleged Israeli targeting of civilians in Gaza with skepticism. By the way, where is the usual NYT disclaimer about not being able to independently verify claims? Or does that only appear when the claims are made by Israel?
655 RecommendShareFlag
Mark commented October 9
M
Mark
Boston
Oct. 9
This is heartbreaking to take in. I don't know why anyone would single out a child. I know there is a war, but this is something else.
7 Replies639 RecommendShareFlag
James commented October 9
J
James
Rockville
Oct. 9
For those of us who think that Israel's aggression is justified on the whole, this reporting is a necessary wake up call that some things can never be justified.
1 Reply619 RecommendShareFlag
Xoxarle commented October 9
X
Xoxarle
Raleigh
Oct. 9
It's hard for me to fathom how the New York Times can simultaneously publish reporting like this, providing a window into the shocking conditions in Gaza and murderous oppression of Palestinians, and yet employ opinion writers like Bret Stephens who consistently defends and justifies the actions of the IDF and Israel. What is the thinking behind this?
619 RecommendShareFlag
Bob Woods commented October 9
Bob Woods
Bob Woods
Salem, Ore
Oct. 9
This madness must be stopped.
603 RecommendShareFlag
Mandelbaum commented October 9
M
Mandelbaum
New York
Oct. 9
A harrowing account. When the dust finally settles in Gaza we’re likely to see more stories like this of the sheer horror that has unfolded. When that happens, the people who supported this and ran interference against any meaningful oversight are going to have a lot of explaining to do. They should never live down the shame.
A decade or two from now, people will be asked, ‘did you know about this, and what did you do to stop it?’
2 Replies591 RecommendShareFlag
GH commented October 9
G
GH
NYC
Oct. 9
Well documented war crimes. Your tax dollars at work.
No end game or strategy to end the conflict, just blind compliance in another endless middle east war. Absolutely shameful leadership from this administration.
We've learned nothing as a nation since 2001.
558 RecommendShareFlag
Anonymous commented October 9
A
Anonymous
Seattle
Oct. 9
Let this sink in: "...continuing to arm Israel is illegal under U.S. law." Made in the USA, indeed. Thank you for having the courage to serve and report. You deserve a Noble Peace Prize.
535 RecommendShareFlag
Brad commented October 9
Brad
Brad
Chester, NJ
Oct. 9
And I’m supposed to take the word of these people at face value? You want to blame someone? Try Hamas.
529 RecommendShareFlag
77ads77 commented October 9
7
77ads77
Manhattan
Oct. 9
How can this not be deliberate?
2 Replies495 RecommendShareFlag
Kdubya commented October 9
K
Kdubya
Earth
Oct. 9
IDF killing of innocent Palestinians goes back quite a few years. If you recall the incident with Durrah and his son, in 2000, caught live on TV as Israeli soldiers killed the boy while he cried in fear crouched behind his father, who was waving frantically at them to stop shooting. Or the sniper shooting of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while she was reporting, and clearly wearing press gear. But don’t you worry, the Israeli government will “investigate” these incidents and be sure to get back to you with their findings. Sigh, the road to justice is long and hellish. But we’ll all get there, just keep pushing.
487 RecommendShareFlag
Little Joe commented October 9
L
Little Joe
The Ponderosa
Oct. 9
heartbreaking. what can one say to this? the other day I went to a vigil for the deceased Palestinians on the campus where I work. students quietly and respectfully lit candles for the dead. in the corner of the plaza, a small crowd of counter protesters stood, accusing them of anti-semitism
1 Reply468 RecommendShareFlag
Jim K commented October 9
J
Jim K
Upstate NY
Oct. 9
As Israel's armed forces sink to new levels of sadism and depravity, the reputation of the United States gets dragged down too. We are financing these war crimes. Enough of this madness. It's time to scrap the "special relationship". Of course, the powerful Israel lobby has made campaign "donations" to nearly every member of the US Congress, so that is unlikely to happen.
It's no secret, our elected lawmakers are on the take... so is our supreme court. Most democracies fail when they become this corrupt. The Founders & Framers would be dumbfounded to witness this.
456 RecommendShareFlag
Green commented October 9
G
Green
Portland,OR
Oct. 9
It is incumbent on the International Criminal Court (ICC ) to expeditiously issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif." This will make those individuals subject to arrest in 124 countries- with the notable exceptions of China, India, Israel, Russia, and the United States- who are not ICC parties.
"The ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression."
I believe Israel has committed grave war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza on a scale never before seen. This article corroborates what has already been established by news agencies and human rights groups on the ground in Gaza.
Also, "by continuing to provide military and diplomatic support to Israel as it commits atrocities, including the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US is complicit in war crimes."
Unbridled support for Israel among Republicans and tepid condemnation by most mainstream Democrats reflect the toxicity of US politics, the undue influence of Israeli lobbying and the weakness of the current political leadership. All parties must be held accountable and truth prevail over expediency and political propaganda.
We must not let history be rewritten to favor the powerful- or these crimes will repeat over and over again.
444 RecommendShareFlag
k commented October 9
k
k
northish
Oct. 9
And Israel is destroying itself, has destroyed itself.
441 RecommendShareFlag
JByte commented October 9
J
JByte
Madison WI.
Oct. 9
Wow... some NYT readers really do live in a bubble. This would not be happening if HAMAS didn't attack Israel in the first place. So who's to blame? Now it's war and people think that it's suppose to be nice war? Tell me one war that's been fairly fought? Don't kid yourself war is ugly don't start one if you don't want major bloodshed. Then some of you want to vote for Jill Stein, go for it! That's a Trump 2024. Again, wow.
438 RecommendShareFlag
Kathi commented October 9
K
Kathi
NY
Oct. 9
Hopefully the ICC and the ICJ file copies of this article for use in evidence in the case South Africa brought against Israel concerning genocide, and charge the US as an accomplice.
424 RecommendShareFlag
Rebecca commented October 9
R
Rebecca
NYC
Oct. 9
Every single American should have to read this before using the phrases "Israel has a right to defend itself" or "the only democracy in the Middle East."
412 RecommendShareFlag
Interesting .... commented October 9
I
Interesting ....
Seattle
Oct. 9
This is horrible. Hamas reaps what it sows. They began a barbaric massacre on October 7th, release the hostages and the war will end.
406 RecommendShareFlag
bobbye commented October 9
b
bobbye
kentucky
Oct. 9
In the 60s and 70s people withheld their taxes to protest the war in Vietnam. Maybe it's time to do that again.
2 Replies404 RecommendShareFlag
John commented October 9
J
John
Aurora
Oct. 9
Slaughter of the innocents in the so-called 'holy land'.
4 Replies398 RecommendShareFlag
Scott commented October 9
S
Scott
Colorado
Oct. 9
I guess I will ask the obvious question that goes unanswered: do we have any evidence of who is doing the shooting? If there are embedded bullets then we should know the caliber and type of bullet. Is it from the IDF or Hamas?
387 RecommendShareFlag
123jojoba commented October 9
1
123jojoba
NJ
Oct. 9
@Expat Please. dear Expat. Make no mistake. A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Trump, and that would be even worse for the future.
384 RecommendShareFlag
Ron commented October 9
R
Ron
Montreal
Oct. 9
Israel is literally getting away with murder.... and the West turns a blind eye.
I am ashamed to be part of this. What are we going to tell our children and grandchildren!
382 RecommendShareFlag
Marc Thivierge commented October 9
M
Marc Thivierge
Southfield
Oct. 9
Hundreds of children, some as young as 18 months, being shot in the head are not collateral damage. They are being executed. Period.
379 RecommendShareFlag
Sherry Irvine commented October 9
S
Sherry Irvine
Portland
Oct. 9
It is clear to many that Israel does not want peace. It wants annihilation.
357 RecommendShareFlag
RUSSELL********************************* commented October 9
R
RUSSELL*********************************
Houston
Oct. 9
This is why college students were protesting - why masses of Americans are alarmed - people the world over are demanding an end to Israel’s actions in the Middle East - why I’m fed up with our governments complicity with Israel - we are not the righteous, wonderful, rule following country that we portray ourselves as - why about half our population supports an immoral lying cheating person such as Trump and even the majority of our leaders support sending weapons to Israel.
350 RecommendShareFlag
Roberta Cha commented October 9
R
Roberta Cha
Long Island
Oct. 9
Pathetic, inexcusable and worst of all, pointless.
339 RecommendShareFlag
EB commented October 9
E
EB
New England
Oct. 9
So much for "Israel has a right to defend itself." Defending itself by deliberately targeting, murdering and maiming children. And we are accomplices.
332 RecommendShareFlag
Ali Jarrah commented October 9
A
Ali Jarrah
Charlottesville
Oct. 9
These are unspeakable crimes. If U.S. complicity in the slaughter of 16,500 children doesn't concern you, then you've lost your humanity. We are complicit in a genocide against a stateless people, who have been subjected to the longest ongoing military occupation. Shame on us.
330 RecommendShareFlag
Seven commented October 9
S
Seven
Midwest
Oct. 9
This is sick and Americans are complicit, probably against the majority will. We must immediately halt the weaponry to Israel and instead provide much more humanitarian aid to the region, especially to Palestine and Lebanon, who have suffered monstrous atrocities.
“I am speaking now, Israel!”
328 RecommendShareFlag
Expat commented October 9
E
Expat
Toronto
Oct. 9
People wonder how hundreds of thousands of us have turned our backs on the Democratic Party to vote for Jill Stein. This report answers that question.
What I cannot fathom is how anyone else could vote for the people in Washington who are behind this. You will never be able to explain away that choice. And “Trump would be worse” is not an excuse.
38 Replies323 RecommendShareFlag
Tom commented October 9
T
Tom
md
Oct. 9
"single gunshot to the head" is equivalent to "executed" isn't it? The clear implication here is that the Israeli military routinely executes children. This is as horrible as what Hamas did a year ago.
It is clear that the "policy" against such war crimes is only a fig leaf. This is what the Israeli army is.
323 RecommendShareFlag
Rob commented October 9
Rob
Rob
Miami
Oct. 9
Hamas initiated this round of violence with 1200+ murders of innocent civilians. They raped, burned, and tortured. They have an ISIS like mentality and hide behind Gazan civilians, dig tunnels under hospitals and schools, all for the purpose of inflicting death on civilians so that the Israelis come under enormous criticism.
They shoot those who they suspect of collaboration. They steal the aid, medicine and food that comes in.
Why would you not put it above them to not shoot their own children in the name of martyrdom to the cause?
None of this is to excuse the tragedy that has befallen the innocents. Still, I see no advantage to the Israelis to kill innocent children when on the one hand they call, drop leaflets, and call for the population to move to safe zones ahead of specific targets.
Truly a tragedy nonetheless, no matter the perpetrators. But, let's not forget how this began and how it can end.
322 RecommendShareFlag
O.G. CRUNCH commented October 9
O
O.G. CRUNCH
New York
Oct. 9
@Expat Yes it is an excuse, and a good one. A vote for Stein is tantamount to a vote for trump. You should hold your nose and vote for Harris for the good of the country and the world.
If you think you've seen the worst. If trump is elected you might very well see a nuclear war.
313 RecommendShareFlag
SJ commented October 9
S
SJ
NYC
Oct. 9
Horrific and indefensible
307 RecommendShareFlag
albrosseau123 commented October 9
a
albrosseau123
Wellington, ON
Oct. 9
When will we admit to ourselves that Netanyahu's government is out to kill as many Palestinians as possible, that it's part of Netanyahu's plan to annex Gaza and the West Bank.
We are NOT on the right side of history.
296 RecommendShareFlag
John commented October 9
J
John
Maine
Oct. 9
I literally had to stop reading because I was getting nauseous. If this isn't genocidal behavior, then what is?
How is it that we only here about this a year after this conflict has begun? Will this story become a blip, like the underreporting of the IDF targeting aide workers?
1 Reply293 RecommendShareFlag
Austin Ouellette commented October 9
A
Austin Ouellette
Denver, CO
Oct. 9
Wow, ONE article detailing the horrific crimes against humanity being perpetrated by IDF. How many has Bret Stephens been allowed to publish, justifying this because of October 7th? Must be close to 60 by now.
Quite literally, there is no evil committed by IDF that Stephens will condemn. All of it is 100% justified in his eyes, and his opinion is endorsed by much of the American media, especially this paper. If it wasn’t? They wouldn’t publish his articles calling for Bibi’s “absolute victory.”
291 RecommendShareFlag
C Gonzalez commented October 9
C
C Gonzalez
Tx
Oct. 9
Devastating read. Snipers shooting and killing children and no accountability.
286 RecommendShareFlag
USA commented October 9
U
USA
Phoenix
Oct. 9
Right now, as we all read this, Israel is decimating north Gaza. Thousands of civilians have been told to evacuate, but when many of them they tried, they were sniped. They are lying in the street. The three hospitals partially functioning have been told to evacuate everyone--doctors, patients, everyone. People are trapped in homes and shelters without food or water. The place is decimated--not just damaged from shooting. Decimated. How do we know this? Social media posts from Palestinian journalists and hospital doctors and ordinary people. We see it. And our media is failing to report it. And are politicians are doing nothing. Just letting the war crimes and ethnic cleansing of the northernmost part of Gaza happen.
273 RecommendShareFlag
Dconkror commented October 9
D
Dconkror
Albuquerque
Oct. 9
There are no words to adequately convey the depravity of Israel's actions in Gaza. The October 7 attacks were despicable to be sure, but Israel has replicated that evil twenty fold. The notion that Israeli snipers are wantonly murdering children turns my stomach. This is truly genocide.
As the author said, "The horror must end. The United States must stop arming Israel."
My gratitude to the author for bringing these details to light. It certainly adds weight to my opinion about Israel's actions.
271 RecommendShareFlag
DH commented October 9
D
DH
USA
Oct. 9
Nobody has the right to start another holocaust. The world is watching and doing nothing. We are all liable as tax payers.
1 Reply257 RecommendShareFlag
Ambika Leigh commented October 9
A
Ambika Leigh
Los Angeles
Oct. 9
The number of people in these comments refusing to believe that the IDF could shoot children in the head, therefore implying it must be "Hamas"... have clearly not been paying attention to how the IDF has always treated Palestinian children. These atrocities are nothing new, just a highly concentrated attempt to "eliminate Hamas", which includes, in their minds, "future terrorists" (aka children). The willful denial is despicably conspicuous.
252 RecommendShareFlag
FW commented October 9
F
FW
West Virginia
Oct. 9
No wonder Israel does everything it can to suppress coverage of what is happening there. Their forces are deliberately targeting civilians, children in particular. Snipers shooting children in the head isn’t “collateral damage”. Hamas visited a heinous crime on Israel and now Israel is exacting retribution on the people of Gaza. No side has the moral high ground. America needs to stop supplying weapons.
244 RecommendShareFlag
SCousineau commented October 9
S
SCousineau
Barcelona
Oct. 9
I fail to understand the reasoning behind placing this piece in the Opinions section.
It is a thorough compilation of first-hand medical workers around Gaza enduring such a clearly horrific situation, with forensic evidence of Israeli sniper attacks on children, photos and eyewitnesses to the hellscape that Gaza has been reduced to. This should not be treated as yet another "opinion" piece on this conflict, given the list of other first-hand accounts also questionably relegated to the Opinion column which were suggested at the bottom of the article. This is bonafide journalism.
Given the lack of "official" journalists on the ground due to the Israeli government's wholly undemocratic stance of not letting the press into Gaza (or assistance of any kind), not to mention their systemic targeting of members of the press, shouldn't the NYT editorial board reward such valor, courage and, clearly, good reporting evident in the author's undertaking with a more prominent place in their newspaper? Why is it put alongside a piece from any one of your columnists, some of whom clearly have their own agenda in this conflict?
The doctors, nurses and other medical workers here are not giving their "medical opinions". They are stating what they have seen, in all the cruel detail that humanity has managed to produce. Isn't that what reporting is?
The targeting of children by snipers in this conflict is news, not opinion.
239 RecommendShareFlag
Tony commented October 9
Tony
Tony
R
Oct. 9
Snipers are killing kids, for revenge, in anger, for fun. This war is full of crimes against humanity. Saying Hamas is responsible does not excuse the brutal and genocidal acts of the IDF in the war theater. Both things can be true. Hamas is fully responsible for the catastrophe and the October 7 atrocities. But the IDF is also responsible for inhuman war crimes. Israel is right to terminate Hamas and enforce security. The way Israel has fought the war is a blight on humanity is plainly wrong.
235 RecommendShareFlag
A. Nonymous commented October 9
A
A. Nonymous
Somewhere, Australia
Oct. 9
It is very hard to believe that so many children shot in the head and chest does not reflect a deliberate IDF policy to kill children. it is consistent with the Israel tactic (how could it not be deliberate?) of creating mass starvation in Gaza by stopping delivery of aid. None of these are isolated acts of particularly sadistic soldiers. It would seem to be IDF policy.
The argument that Israel cannot commit genocide just because Jews were the victims of genocide in the past makes no sense at all. Israel can and is doing it right now.
233 RecommendShareFlag
BL commented October 9
B
BL
Illinois
Oct. 9
The bravery of the medical professionals who try their best to minimize the suffering in Gaza is worthy of the highest praise.
What Israel has done to Gaza- and is now starting to do to Lebanon- is criminal. The state of Israel has suffered a moral death from which they cannot recover.
President Biden could end this carnage by stopping the flow of offensive weapons. He has repeatedly chosen not to.
He believes he is Israel's ally.
No. President Joe Biden is their accomplice.
227 RecommendShareFlag
Daniel commented October 9
D
Daniel
Westport
Oct. 9
Do not the citizens of Israel, see? Do they not feel? Do they not feel shame? They are not turning into a pariah, they have arrived. Yes, Hamas needs to be eliminated. Hama is evil itself. But the occupation needed to end because it somehow explained and gave credence to those killers. So why take over for them? Why assume their role and become the new Hamas? And on this path someday the world will say that Israel too has become evil itself. STOP THE MURDERING! Everyone.
215 RecommendShareFlag
Independent Observer commented October 9
I
Independent Observer
Texas
Oct. 9
Since Gaza's Hamas government sacrifices its residents, both young and old, in order to establish worldwide criticism against the Israelis, there's no real way of knowing whether it's the Israelis or Hamas shooting these kids. Since the Israelis have nothing to gain by wasting ammunition in such a way, and Hamas has everything to gain by tricking hospital workers/NYT readers into criticizing the Israelis, my suspicions fall on the latter.
215 RecommendShareFlag
PG commented October 9
P
PG
Houston
Oct. 9
Both political parties will always support Israel no matter what but Trump would be the worst choice to deal with this crisis … He would be pro Netanyahu no matter what .. it would not be surprising if we found after the elections that they were talking to avoid a peace deal.
5 Replies209 RecommendShareFlag
Bob commented October 9
B
Bob
North of the 54th
Oct. 9
@Expat But Trump will be worse, this is a lesser of 2 evils choice, voting for Stein just makes it worse for everyone.
204 RecommendShareFlag
Yakov commented October 9
Y
Yakov
Israel
Oct. 9
What an utter indictment of a sadistic Hamas willing to sacrifice it's people, it's children. All of this could have been avoided if Hamas would surrender and give it's people a future. There is plenty of food getting into Gaza. Hamas steals it and sells some for a premium. There are plenty of medical supplies getting into Gaza as well. Instead Hamas fights for nothing of value except death and destruction. They used all the international assistance to build rockets and tunnels so they can murder Israeli's, not to improve the lives of their people. After Israel withdrew in 2095 Hamas violently overthrew the Palestinian Authority in 2007. A Hamas surrender would stop the bloodshed and secure a much better future for the Palestinians in Gaza. Until that happens the citizens if Gaza have no hope. Even if Israel stopped the war, Hamas would rebuild and just continue to plan to commit atrocities. What a grim future for their people. These doctors should be calling for Hamas to surrender.
6 Replies204 RecommendShareFlag
Oracle at Delphi commented October 9
O
Oracle at Delphi
Seattle
Oct. 9
Biden-Harris and most members of Congress lose their moral compass when it comes to Israel's aggression. Congratulations to the NY Times for this piece---you wouldn't see this in another US newspaper.
202 RecommendShareFlag
Kevin commented October 9
K
Kevin
NJ
Oct. 9
So the first hand accounts from doctors and the xrays with bullets in the head are 'opinions'? Never again.
200 RecommendShareFlag
Dominic commented October 9
D
Dominic
Astoria, NY
Oct. 9
I can't imagine the level of depravity and complete lack of humanity it takes to shoot a child in the head. A child. Utterly inexcusable.
193 RecommendShareFlag
Abe commented October 9
A
Abe
Detroit
Oct. 9
The Palestinians know too well the limitless power an Israeli soldier holds over them in all aspects of life. And in war, this power can be used to shoot children in the head without any repercussions.
That the Israelis and their supporters think this is all ok and all the fault of Hamas because they hide among civilians is further evidence of the corrupting nature of this limitless power.
188 RecommendShareFlag
Georgina Davenport commented October 9
G
Georgina Davenport
FL
Oct. 9
A shot in the head is 100% intentional kill, on a child.
I can only speculate the soldiers had been given order that they were willing to carry out -- to kill Palestinians' future. If this is not proof of genocide, what is?
This is definitely no longer just the right to defend themselves. All Americans who support sending Israel weapons have children's blood in their hands.
Hamas' 10/7 attack on Israel was atrocious and hurt themselves more than it hurt their perceived enemies. So was Israeli's execution of Palestinian civilians, especially the children who were shot to death.
184 RecommendShareFlag
Ron commented October 9
R
Ron
Montreal
Oct. 9
@paul
No this IS NOT war. After WW2 we established international laws, rules of warfare, and rules for temporary occupation.
Israel has wilfully violated all those laws and rules.
181 RecommendShareFlag
Tal Barzilai commented October 9
T
Tal Barzilai
Pleasantville, NY
Oct. 9
Although I do give my condolences for the Palestinians who died, this is an unfortunate part of a war, plus civilian casualties are common in such events. However, there wouldn't be so much if Hamas stopped placing their own kind into harm's way be it having their military bases in densely, populated areas or even trying to hide among civilians. In reality, Hamas couldn't care less about their own people for getting caught in the crossfire and the same goes for Hezbollah. If the Palestinians really do want this end, then they should start standing up to Hamas and start calling them out unless they don't mind living in this forever state of war. The truth about Hamas is that they really are cowards in that they not only target Israeli civilians, but they even hide behind their own civilians instead of fighting like real men. Then again, that's how they can make a good PR stunt for those gullible to believe them. Also, they are known for dressing up like civilians just so that they can blend in and even make it look as if a civilian was attacked if they are to be taken out. The only reason why they aren't a lot of civilian casualties on the Israeli side is mainly because they aren't placing their own people into harm's way, plus when they tell them to evacuate or go to bomb shelters, they don't act like victims to the rules and understand what's going on. Had this really been genocide, the deaths on the Palestinian side would have been much higher as others are doing.
180 RecommendShareFlag
Astounded commented October 9
A
Astounded
Borrego Springs
Oct. 9
😥
Heartbreaking and maddening.
War will always, always, bring out the worst instincts in humans. The victims are subject to inhuman suffering and the victors demean their own humanity. Israel's Abu Ghraib stands exposed.
1 Reply179 RecommendShareFlag
Anon E. Mouse commented October 9
A
Anon E. Mouse
Iowa
Oct. 9
@Yakov And what about children being shot in the head by snipers? Is that Hamas' fault? Seems like a moral failure of the IDF to me. Hamas doesn't aim Israel's guns.
171 RecommendShareFlag
S commented October 9
S
S
Boston
Oct. 9
that X-ray is haunting. i can't understand how someone can continue excuse the mindless slaughter of civilians in gaza
167 RecommendShareFlag
starizhot commented October 9
s
starizhot
ft. atkinson
Oct. 9
That Netanyahu facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars from Qatar to Hamas prior to Oct. 7 ,makes you wonder what is really going on here. Is this some scheme to finally end the Palistinean problem?
164 RecommendShareFlag
Joe commented October 9
J
Joe
USA
Oct. 9
@Expat At some point the war will end and the Palestinians will need food and aid. Democrats will support providing them with aid. Trump will let them starve until they sell him with enough waterfront land to build his next golf course on.
164 RecommendShareFlag
Bob commented October 9
B
Bob
North of the 54th
Oct. 9
More evidence of Israel’s complete disregard for the life of Palestinians. This is Israel “mowing the grass” and undoubtedly the guilty parties laugh afterwards. From Bibi downward there is an immorality that seems to have no bounds.
161 RecommendShareFlag
Ron commented October 9
R
Ron
Montreal
Oct. 9
@H
What will our children and grandchildren think of us when they read the history books of the future !!
All we can say is that we tried to stop it. We demonstrated. We got arrested. We wrote in the media. We boycotted.
But our political leaders did not want to hear us because they were corrupted and intimidated by campaign contributions and threats from supporters of the crimes taking place.
158 RecommendShareFlag
Jeff commented October 9
J
Jeff
Nowhere
Oct. 9
There is no universe where this is justified. None.
155 RecommendShareFlag
Alex commented October 9
A
Alex
US
Oct. 9
It is extremely difficult to read the intense suffering of innocent children in Gaza. The gruesomely detailed reports however lack any evidence that the children were shot at the hands of Israeli snipers, and no evidence is provided for such an egregious claim. Even the timeline of the claims do not add up, as they occurred after the withdrawal of Israeli troops.. and no sniper in battlefield would risk exposing their position by shooting a child - however there is able evidence documented of Hamas militants shooting at their own population in order to steal and protect stolen aid. Over a million tons of aid on 54,000 trucks has crossed into Gaza. Israel and Egypt continue to supply water via pipelines, and 830,000 tons of food have crossed into Gaza. Videos abound on social media of the same donated food being resold on the streets of Gaza, this is no secret.
These reports of suffering are need to be published and should cause immense outrage. However that outrage should fall solely on the militants who have time and time again created and administered suffering on their own population with the explicitly stated goal of committed genocide against Israelis.
151 RecommendShareFlag
CD commented October 9
C
CD
central Florida
Oct. 9
this well documented article should not surprise anyone. what should be a surprise is that americans will do nothing but send more money and bombs to the ruthless israelis who have been doing this for many years.
150 RecommendShareFlag
John commented October 9
J
John
Boise
Oct. 9
Kudos to the healthcare workers in Gaza making a difference. This is a painful story to read. Shooting kids in the head has been their mode of operating for a while. It’s illegal, immoral, and sadistic. More violence and destruction will be born out of this behavior towards other human beings.
149 RecommendShareFlag
James commented October 9
J
James
NYC
Oct. 9
@kathiw All your comments were spot on, but the most important, and ignored by the media, I believe is Gaza was "not an easy place to live prior to the war". Israel controlled the Food, Fuel, and Water and was slowly limiting all for years. That I believe is the root of all evil.
148 RecommendShareFlag
Curt Coker commented October 9
Curt Coker
Curt Coker
Cleveland, Ohio
Oct. 9
@Expat "Trump would be worse" is most certainly an excuse, until we have ranked choice voting. Trump loves you for voting for Jill Stein, and he only loves those who work in his service.
143 RecommendShareFlag
Bright Star commented October 9
B
Bright Star
Chicago
Oct. 9
This is the most important article I've read this year. I'm in disbelief at how we have let this carnage, this genocide, to continue -- how we have *knowingly* fully funded and armed one of the worst atrocities in recent memory. In the process we have jettisoned the last remaining vestiges of international law and lost our standing in the rest of the world. The entire world despises us and views us as criminals, and for good reason. Try traveling abroad and mentioning that you're American and see the horror with which we are now met. And domestically, the Democratic Party has shown itself to be every bit as immoral as the Republican Party, and has lost all moral authority, in a year when the stakes are so high. The party has lost key constituencies which it is unlikely to regain ever.
And the worst thing is how little people care. Americans are largely insulated from the violence and suffering they are inflicting so they're quite smug about it all. Poll after poll shows that we are much more concerned about gas prices than the fact that we are funding this mass genocide.
What is wrong with us? What monsters have we turned into? Or have we always been this way?
"We Americans need to take a long, hard look at ourselves." Indeed.
142 RecommendShareFlag
B commented October 9
B
B
NY
Oct. 9
I hate the current war in Gaza. I hate that innocent Palestinian civilians are being used as pawns and human shields by Hamas, and their proxy, Iran. I hate that the Palestinians living in Gaza are being fed garbage by their leaders about getting their land back and expelling all Jews from Israel. I hate the Netanyahu government and their stupid miscalculations with allowing tunnels to be built, and rejection of a two state solution. I hate the atrocities committed by individual Israeli soldiers.
But did this author read the October 7 coverage that has been printed over the past few days? It is even more horrifying and barbaric than we saw this time last year.
Israel continues to be treated with a double standard that -- I don't think is completely rooted in antisemitism, but is rooted in views that Israel is "white" and "colonialist", which is laughable. (For the record, I am not Jewish)
I won't pretend to know the answer, but turning off the flow of arms to Israel is not it. We are supporting the only true democracy in the Middle East. The only one that would wage war in a modern ethical fashion -- but yes, it's war, and horrible things happen. The U.S. should continually press on Israel to do better. But let's all be honest, Israel is going to act as aggressively as possible until the US election. Dr. Sidhwa should imagine far worse if Trump is elected.
139 RecommendShareFlag
Craig commented October 9
C
Craig
US
Oct. 9
The horror of small children being shot by snipers.
If this is not a permanent stain on the morality of the IDF (and the folks who support them), then there is no morality left.
The US government needs to act with morality now to stop Israel.
138 RecommendShareFlag
Jacob Blues commented October 9
J
Jacob Blues
New York City
Oct. 9
Did any of you see any of the 250 hostages that were kidnapped and taken into Gaza?
Did any of you treat the Israeli rape victims?
Did any of you demand that international NGO’s responsible for the protection of civilians be granted access to the hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad?
Have any of you demanded that the hostages be released?
Have any of you demanded that Hamas surrender, let alone question its use of Palestinian civilians and protected structures as human shields? Not only post October 7th, but in the years that hamas built its military infrastructure throughout Gaza?
War is indeed a terrible thing, but this is a war that was initiated and sustained by the extremism and violent ideology of Hamas, and is one that rejects Israel’s right to exist as much as it does the lives of its Jewish citizens to exist. Jews have a legitimate right to defend themselves from the barbarism of Hamas, and its use of Palestinian civilians as human shields does not negate that right.
137 RecommendShareFlag
Robert Roth commented October 9
R
Robert Roth
NYC
Oct. 9
I think a link to this article should accompany every column by supporters of the war.
1 Reply136 RecommendShareFlag
Abrocadabro commented October 9
A
Abrocadabro
Brooklyn
Oct. 9
There seems to be little critical thinking going on in the Comments. This is an opinion piece presenting anecdotes, not a researched news article that is supposed to be held to journalistic standards. I don't doubt that the facts are accurate, but they clearly are not complete and much of the commentary is one-sided.
In any case, one conclusion from pieces like this is that war is hell. No kidding. And it's particularly bad for people who are being used as shields by their government. How, why and by whom these children were shot is unknown. Perhaps Hamas soldiers were bunkered in an apartment, firing at IDF forces; possible? Why there is malnutrition and inadequate medical care is apparent. Those things happen in war zones and, as others have noted, Hamas has been seizing food and medical supplies during (and before) the war.
I think it's also worth noting that most people commenting here have no actual experience in wars or even smaller battles. It's easy to judge and be a Monday morning quarterback from the safety of your couch. Further, the information flow from this war and the attention it gets is far greater than the coverage of any other hostilities in the media currently or the past. War is always hell, even if the media doesn't provide detailed accounts of conditions.
135 RecommendShareFlag
JNG commented October 9
J
JNG
Mystic, CT
Oct. 9
Typically, a story covering Gaza generates hundreds of comments in short order. As I write, this article, which is most newsworthy, has generated less than 30 comments. Perhaps the purposeful killing of children is impossible to defend. Regardless, it matters not. US opinion is immaterial to the war effort. Our elected representatives know which side their bread is buttered on.
2 Replies132 RecommendShareFlag
Jack Frost commented October 9
J
Jack Frost
Tel Aviv. Israel
Oct. 9
I am Jewish and a supporter of Israel but this is too much to bear. I enlisted in the Army in October 1966 and I remember the horror of Vietnam. I particularly recall people injured by napalm, artillery, mortars and small arms. The effects of all those weapons is horrific beyond belief. But, I never recall any soldiers taking head shots at children. Never. However I do recall My Lai and Lt. Calley. That was a tragic exception.
War is beyond disgusting and vicious. However deliberately targeting children and other innocent people is beyond what I and most people would tolerate.
I am writing to the Israeli ambassador to the United States and also to Netanyahu in Israel. I will not support Israel when their soldiers are deliberately targeting children. The vomit is rising in my throat as I read this. I am disgusted, angry and ashamed and embarrassed too.
We were headed to Israel this year but have cancelled our trip. I also stopped my financial support for Israel this year. I won't be sending a dime until I know there is an investigation and punishment of the soldiers, commanders and political leaders responsible for these horrific killings of innocent children.
Netanyahu should be ending this war not expanding it. I know that Israel was greatly traumatized by October 7th. But that is no excuse for the massive killings and destruction now going on.
I don't know what else to say. I have no tears left. For both sides.
Biden, please. Put Netanyahu out of business.
130 RecommendShareFlag
jrd commented October 9
j
jrd
ny
Oct. 9
And the irony, if you can call it that, is Israel claiming that its owed special deference, and all the munitions American tax dollars can buy, because it observes civilized norms ignored in neighboring countries.
We Americans can't say we weren't told.
122 RecommendShareFlag
Hmmmm commented October 9
H
Hmmmm
Somerset Nj
Oct. 9
From reading this article I can only conclude that Israel has passed the rubicon from a just war and moved into genocide phase. Disillusionment and anger doesn’t describe my feeling as much as sadness as to how this country and its people I had admired so much has morphed into a monster.
122 RecommendShareFlag
Laura commented October 9
L
Laura
Chicago
Oct. 9
No matter what good Biden did and does on the home front, he will always be remembered for what he did not do in #Gaza and Lebanon: withhold weapons from Israel when he saw the number of civilians killed by the huge craters that dotted the scene, when the whole world saw the destruction from the 2000 LB bombs he supplied, when social media was filled with the photos of hungry Gazan children. Those scenes will provide the backdrop of Biden's legacy forever. How could someone who boasts that his 50 years in office made him an expert in foreign affairs miss something as simple as "it's the weapons you have provided." If Biden wants Palestinian children not to be shot by Israeli soldiers in the head, he should not provide Israel with the weapons that make this crime possible. Period!
119 RecommendShareFlag
RP commented October 9
R
RP
SFBay
Oct. 9
I’m horrified by the descriptions of suffering in this article. I also didn’t realize the IDF was specifically targeting children or that delivering military aid to Israel for this war is illegal. Thank you for writing about this with such clarity.
I have admired much of the work Biden has done as our president, but this issue is a stain on his presidency.
116 RecommendShareFlag
bubba commented October 9
b
bubba
CA
Oct. 9
But both the American journalist a while ago and the recent activist were shot on their heads.
114 RecommendShareFlag
CK commented October 9
C
CK
Georgetown
Oct. 9
The conduct of Israelite army is so immoral and despicable. They no longer can hide under the "mainstream" media such as CNN and other propaganda apparatus that are under their influence. Kudos to NYT for reporting this hideous war crimes committed against children by Israelite soldiers.
112 RecommendShareFlag
Sophy commented October 9
S
Sophy
Massachusetts
Oct. 9
for god's sake, stop the US weapons to Israel. This is unconscionable . And now Israel -- Netanyahu-- on a crazy crusade intends a war with Lebanon and Iran? Hate does not bring peace. Hate engenders hate.
For that matter, why are we in the US not talking to Iran, whom we consider an enemy? Why not try to come to understanding, instead of war?
109 RecommendShareFlag
tdb commented October 9
t
tdb
Berkeley, CA
Oct. 9
@kathiw Yes, I have the highest respect for these medical professionals who volunteer to go down to hell for some time and render their services. Humanity at its best.
108 RecommendShareFlag
Dr Michael commented October 9
D
Dr Michael
Bethesda
Oct. 9
I also saw yesterday a picture of Hamas leader who started this horrible mayhem holding a toddler with a gun in his hand and the constant barrage of rockets at Israeli civilians including children even though unlike Hamas Israeli fighters don’t hide among its civilians like Hamas does.
108 RecommendShareFlag
Healthy White Baby commented October 9
Healthy White Baby
Healthy White Baby
Houston
Oct. 9
It is incredibly unfortunate that Hamas terrorists hide and fight among women and children and then use their deaths as a political tool to gain sympathy for their criminal cause.
They know exactly what they are doing.
107 RecommendShareFlag
Michael D Slager commented October 9
M
Michael D Slager
Chicago
Oct. 9
There is absolutely no justification for what Israel has done. The numbers of dead are a disgrace and a crime against humanity. I believe Israel has the right to defend itself and that is the overwhelming popular talking point reiterated by most, but this is not defense, this is a slaughter.
106 RecommendShareFlag
SG commented October 9
S
SG
NJ
Oct. 9
I don't understand Netanyahu & Israel. Why isn't every child & young person who survives not going to devote what's left of their lives to destroying Israel? This action isn't destroying Hamas; it's bolstering it for generations.
104 RecommendShareFlag
LMD commented October 9
L
LMD
Princeton, NJ
Oct. 9
The complete disregard for human life in Gaza is completely unacceptable and horrific. The US should not be backing Israel any longer. They have created a brand new generation of anti semitism that they will have to contend with. It’s tragic and so disappointing. Israel had an opportunity to show the world what humanity looks like in the face of hate after October 7. They have done the opposite. My heart breaks for the Palestinians. They are not Hamas.
103 RecommendShareFlag
agreed commented October 9
a
agreed
US
Oct. 9
@Yvonne
Because the editors are more lenient about what they'll publish as an opinion piece and on digital. Sad but true
102 RecommendShareFlag
Vet commented October 9
V
Vet
MD
Oct. 9
At this point I don't see how snipers and quadcopters are any different than the machetes the Rwandans used. If anything it's worse, more calculated and cold blooded
102 RecommendShareFlag
Jacques commented October 9
Jacques
Jacques
Partout
Oct. 9
@Paul This is not war. This is slaughter of the innocents. There are rules of war which Israel is deliberately ignoring.
101 RecommendShareFlag
Phil commented October 9
Phil
Phil
Grapevine TX
Oct. 9
Israel may win the battle, but has already lost the war. The children who survived will be the next generations terrorists. And they will have no mercy on any westerner or Jew. Netanyahu and Israel have a right to defend their country. They have a right to kill Hamas who raped and murdered their citizens. But Israel and Bibi choose vengeance as the easiest path and a distinct lack of concern about civilian deaths.
It is truly sad. After 10/7 there was a space, a chance that a policy of killing Hamas combined with heroic efforts to protect civilians could have changed the outlook of Palestinians and Arabs about Jews. Instead the hatred has been reinforced. And it will explode again and again and again.
Neither side has any wisdom. Only hate is left.
100 RecommendShareFlag
Dennis commented October 9
D
Dennis
Philadelphia
Oct. 9
@Yvonne
Excellent question. This is clearly objective reporting not biased opinion.
100 RecommendShareFlag
Sir commented October 9
S
Sir
Boston
Oct. 9
@Yvonne It's especially distressing to see this in in the op-ed section next to Bret Stephens' "We should all want Israel to win".
99 RecommendShareFlag
RBC commented October 9
R
RBC
Charlottesville, VA
Oct. 9
Hamas does not care at all about the civilian population in Gaza. If they did, they would have surrendered by now, or allowed the civilians to shelter in the tunnel. Hamas unfortunately is a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel, and the war cannot end until it is gone.
98 RecommendShareFlag
Steve from New Mexico commented October 9
S
Steve from New Mexico
New Mexico
Oct. 9
One could surmise that this is Israel's, at least the current administration's purpose - if you kill the mothers that may birth new Hamas fighters, and kill the kids that could become those fighters, you have at least a twofer. You not only eliminate future combatants, but cause nearly irreparable harm in Gaza. If that's not genocide, I don't know what is.
Combat Veteran - Vietnam 1969-70
98 RecommendShareFlag
Michael commented October 9
M
Michael
Brooklyn
Oct. 9
Hamas started a war, and they need to surrender now to end this and release the hostages they took. This is 100% on Hamas.
2 Replies97 RecommendShareFlag
Powerful Katrinka commented October 9
P
Powerful Katrinka
Athens, GA
Oct. 9
It is my wish that Joe Biden, Anthony Blinken, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz be required to read this article.
96 RecommendShareFlag
Chris commented October 9
C
Chris
OR
Oct. 9
Thank you for writing this, and good for the Times for publishing it. The dehumanization and slaughter of Palestinians is one of the great moral failings of our time.
95 RecommendShareFlag
Scott commented October 9
S
Scott
Pittsburgh
Oct. 9
How hard it must be to aim your rifle at a child, know it is a child, and still pull the trigger. What eases the pain for the soldier is the knowledge that what your are shooting is in your mind sub-human and does not deserve to have a life.
What Israel has done is to turn a population of 2 million people in Gaza into "terrorists". If I had a mother, brother, cousin or friend killed at the hands of the Israelis I would not hesitate to pick up a weapon and fight back.
By Israel's reasoning, there are now 2 million terrorists in Gaza and they must all be eliminated according to the Netanyahu government.
95 RecommendShareFlag
Sam commented October 9
S
Sam
Wisconsin
Oct. 9
@Yvonne
It is an opinion piece because it presents an unbalanced presentation of a complex issue. Numerous opinion pieces and pictorials have been published about Gaza. We have yet to see one pictorial of the hostages now kept captive for a full year.
Never forget none of this would have happened if Hamas had not attacked innocent Israelis who also included children.
94 RecommendShareFlag
KH commented October 9
K
KH
Oakland Riviera
Oct. 9
@Yvonne My thoughts too. This should be "above the fold" news. And my heart breaks for the medical personnel and the children. I hope all evidence of this ends up in the Hague, because this is a blatant war crime.
94 RecommendShareFlag
Bob commented October 9
B
Bob
San Francisco
Oct. 9
@H The killing of children is never acceptable, even in war. Set's not forget that on October 7, 2023 Hamas invaded Israel and killed 1200 people and took 250 hostage. Those numbers include the 38 Israeli children murdered and 15 Israeli children taken hostage. The deaths in Gaza are regrettable but the blame must first fall to Hamas and its leaders and supporters.
94 RecommendShareFlag
Miguel F. commented October 9
M
Miguel F.
Canada
Oct. 9
Yes, could somebody please pass this article along to Bret Stephens?
He doesn't seem to read the Times. Although I know he occasionally publishes in the Post.
93 RecommendShareFlag
Just Another commented October 9
J
Just Another
New York
Oct. 9
So why does Biden refuse to exercise leverage on Netanyahu by conditioning military aid or at least explicitly condemning this? What do AIPAC, columnists like Bret Stephens, and U.S. supporters of Israel say to justify or rationalize these Israeli war crimes? And why do pro Israel donors, politicians, and journalists try to limit college students who speak out against this by overbroad charges of antisemitism?
92 RecommendShareFlag
T commented October 9
T
T
Georgia
Oct. 9
@Yakov Its actually purely an indictment of the sadistic IDF but nice try. Americans are fed up with these obfuscations.
92 RecommendShareFlag
Bill Haywood commented October 9
B
Bill Haywood
Arkansas
Oct. 9
@Yakov Hamas didn't target children with rifles.
91 RecommendShareFlag
Hans Castorp commented October 9
H
Hans Castorp
DC
Oct. 9
I hope Biden and Blinken read this.
2 Replies90 RecommendShareFlag
NYC_HF commented October 9
N
NYC_HF
NYC
Oct. 9
That we are allowing this to happen and in fact supporting it with our tax dollars is disgusting. The United States has to stop funding Israel.
89 RecommendShareFlag
Steve McSteverson commented October 9
Steve McSteverson
Steve McSteverson
Oakland
Oct. 9
The assumption here, which is unexamined, is that these wounds were all inflicted by the IDF. While that may be true in many instances, one cannot rule out the possibility that many are inflicted by Hamas fighters, as a hallmark of that force is the use of human shields without regard to age or vulnerability. Certainly the malnutrition and starvation can be laid, in part, at the feet of Hamas, which intercepts and uses humanitarian aid for its own fighters or to sell.
I don’t mean to suggest that the IDF has no culpability here. I’m simply skeptical of the approach that assumes that the IDF is solely culpable without any examination of the possibility that Hamas, which has demonstrated a cynical disregard for the lives and wellbeing of Palestinian civilians, may also share culpability.
89 RecommendShareFlag
elliot commented October 9
e
elliot
israel
Oct. 9
I hope the New York Times has received evidence of these horrific claims.
Severe Malnutrition, skeletal bodies, etc - a photo would suffice.
Young children with bullets in their head or chest - perhaps X-rays. Three are provided. I hope the NYT has seen the rest.
These claims are very serious. I would expect the evidence to be provided for action against the responsible parties. If they are not backed up, I can only conclude that much of what I read are lies.
89 RecommendShareFlag
Miriam commented October 9
M
Miriam
NJ
Oct. 9
@paul
"War" is bad enough, but these are blatant Israeli war crimes. "This is what war does"? Deliberately murdering children by shooting them in the head confers no legitimate military gain.
We are increasingly seeing the truth about the self declared "most moral army" - it is anything but.
89 RecommendShareFlag
James Torriani commented October 9
J
James Torriani
Milford CT
Oct. 9
In this article I didn't see a single witness say they saw an Israeli soldier shoot a child. As to the other things I don't know who is holding up the cease fire/hostage release Netenyahu or Hames but in WW II 80% of Aachen was destroyed in 3 days of fighting In Dresden 20,000 people were killed in two nights of bombing. What is going on in Gaza is no different than the Allies did.
3 Replies88 RecommendShareFlag
Katalina commented October 9
K
Katalina
Austin, TX
Oct. 9
What has retribution wrought? The continuing horror of this barbaric onslaught on Gaza by the Israeli forces is shocking and has left the taste of revenge most bitter in all mouths. The poor, helpless children! And all others in Gaza which has been bombed to nothing, with pain and suffering all around. Now Israel's retribution spreads to Lebenanon.
Who has the moral and raw power to end these brutalities?
The USA supplies Israel with weapons which are then ussed and continue the disaster known as the war.
This tragedy must end.
88 RecommendShareFlag
David Brockwell commented October 9
D
David Brockwell
Sydney
Oct. 9
How many of those bullets were shot from Hamas guns?
87 RecommendShareFlag
Alissa commented October 9
A
Alissa
NY
Oct. 9
I couldn’t read this article in one go. It is heartbreaking and maddening. This genocide puts an end to Human Rights and International law. The West can stop with is moral lessons once and for all. It put its principles in the garbage bin and I am not sure it had any principles to start with. Shame on us. I feel so powerless. Both my sons are so distraught and angry that they decided to leave for Irlande for their masters and plan to stay there. I can’t blame them and might join them.
87 RecommendShareFlag
blackLight commented October 9
b
blackLight
DC
Oct. 9
I hope Bret Stephens reads this piece.
87 RecommendShareFlag
Marc commented October 9
M
Marc
New York NY
Oct. 9
Hamas did this. And they did it on purpose. They intentionally brought a war to their own land, they unilaterally chose to sacrifice their own people for a futile and fatalistic obsession, and it has been demonstrated over and over and over again that more than enough calories are being brought into Gaza so that there should be no malnutrition. The malnutrition is also from Hamas - they hijack and hoard all of the food and are starving their own people which serves 2 sick, cynical purposes - to keep their fighters well nourished and to intentionally create the kind of heart wrenching hunger that makes for sympathetic, anti-Israel stories.
The end to this war will not be to stop arming Israel. People need to stop thinking that "escalation" is the enemy. It is a forever war. It has been a forever war for decades. The only way to end this war is to WIN it which means to defeat and eradicate Hamas. And to create new governance for Palestinians.
Why is the onus always on Israel and Israel alone? They are in a catch 22. Hamas forces them into a situation where they end up firing into civilian areas. It is well known. Palestinians elected Hamas and widely support them - dissent is rare, and sadly, the few brave dissenters are quickly and brutally silenced from within.
The only thing that disarming Israel would do is to allow Hamas to keep attacking and keep its tyranny.
The idea that a "cease fire" would end anything is a naive myth.
Btw google "Khaled Mashal net worth"
86 RecommendShareFlag
paul commented October 9
p
paul
ny
Oct. 9
This is something that has been known for the majority of the previous year, including the targeted bombing of hospitals, schools, ambulances and virtually all civilians infrastructure.
The response is always the same especially in these comment sections: Israel has a right to defend itself.
This is how Israel defends itself. This is what they're talking about. In practice nothing will change because the realpolitik of this situation, both domestic and international becomes the structure of support for this genocide.
No American politician will sacrifice their career to stop this. Especially the closer they are to a realistic presidential run, governorship, speakership,or majority /minority leadership position. Let alone any party apparatchik.
This problem isn't new for anyone who followed "Operation Pillar of Defense" similar tactics were used in a lower intensity.
Until America's imperial management isn't a game for Americans and their clients, until FARA applies to Israel, until the media is honest to Americans about how the Israeli government and Israeli's themselves see solutions to these problems, there will be America led/sponsored/supported atrocities in "Greater Israel".
85 RecommendShareFlag
american *taxpayer* commented October 9
a
american *taxpayer*
US
Oct. 9
@Tim Hathaway
When I took a WWII class in college, I remember my professor, a genocide expert, saying behind every genocide is a society's beliefs in a future utopia they are creating for themselves
I think Israel really believes this.
85 RecommendShareFlag
KBA commented October 9
K
KBA
Connecticut
Oct. 9
@Yvonne Exactly, this is a factual report. I don't understand putting it in "Opinion."
85 RecommendShareFlag
Rosalie Lieberman commented October 9
R
Rosalie Lieberman
Chicago, IL
Oct. 9
I won't deny that these victims had been shot in the head, but I wonder if those accused of being snipers aren't local Hamas men. Sorry, I am not buying into Israeli soldiers having nothing better to do than purposefully shooting young children in the head. There is much back and forth shooting going on, and children can certainly be caught in the crossfire. It is possible for an individual soldier to shoot a teen who is fighting back at the soldier, but it is totally against all rules and morals of the IDF to purposefully target young children who are doing nothing wrong. Something else is going on. A few misfits in the IDF? There have been some soldiers across all the years who have broken the rules, but they suffer more than being jailed and stigmatized their entire lives. Yes, they will be shunned, permanently. These shootings are not the work of an allegedly cruel IDF group. Not buying it. Yes, I will be criticized. But I've known IDF soldiers personally across the years, they are very, very far from this type of savage behavior.
84 RecommendShareFlag
greg commented October 9
g
greg
WA state
Oct. 9
@James Tell that to Bret Stephens.
84 RecommendShareFlag
Robert commented October 9
R
Robert
New Jersey
Oct. 9
The world should be shocked by this story.This is what Israel wanted all along.The shame of it all is that the USA is the one’s who supply israel with the armament to do harm to those in Gaza.Israel says they are hunting down Hamas .Then why were 75000 buildings destroyed.This ends when all foreign diplomats leave Israel and funding of any type stops.Wake up world!
83 RecommendShareFlag
Michael commented October 9
M
Michael
Swizterland
Oct. 9
Some of those reports are related to precarious, and unfortunately to be expected, conditions of the war zone.
Whenever there's a war, there are fatalities among civilians and children. The same happened in Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Vietnam, Japan, US Civil war.
Other reports, however, are disturbing. Disturbing because, coming from Muslim doctors, I do question their integrity. Hamas has been extremely resourceful in manipulating public opinion.
The timing of publication of this article, showing up exactly one day after the one-year anniversary of the war that Hamas started, sounds like an attempt to shift the blame into Israel. Hamas started this war, by attacking, rapping, murdering children, regardless of sex and age, just because they were Jewish.
Hamas and Hezbollah use civilians and children as human shields. Hamas and Hezbollah hide weapons in Hospitals, Schools, residential zones and even UN buildings.
War is disgusting, even without the death of children. But it's even more disgusting to try to divert the attention from the atrocities that Hamas, a terrorist organization, is inflicting in its own people, while its leaders become billionaires.
Do you really want to do what's right for Gazans? Support Israel in eliminating terror in the Middle East, swiftly and in the most human way.
We all should root for a full and complete victory of Israel, so the horrors of the war shall never be seen again.
83 RecommendShareFlag
Sam&Eddie commented October 9
Sam&Eddie
Sam&Eddie
Los Lunas NM
Oct. 9
I know few of you remember how black men and women were treated in the south ... but I do, and this is exactly the same.
83 RecommendShareFlag
Read More
Opinion
Guest Essay
65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza
Daniel Benneworth-Gray
By Feroze Sidhwa
Dr. Sidhwa is a trauma and general surgeon who worked at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, for two weeks in March and April.
Oct. 9, 2024
Share full article
440
I worked as a trauma surgeon in Gaza from March 25 to April 8. I’ve volunteered in Ukraine and Haiti, and I grew up in Flint, Mich. I’ve seen violence and worked in conflict zones. But of the many things that stood out about working in a hospital in Gaza, one got to me: Nearly every day I was there, I saw a new young child who had been shot in the head or the chest, virtually all of whom went on to die. Thirteen in total.
At the time, I assumed this had to be the work of a particularly sadistic soldier located nearby. But after returning home, I met an emergency medicine physician who had worked in a different hospital in Gaza two months before me. “I couldn’t believe the number of kids I saw shot in the head,” I told him. To my surprise, he responded: “Yeah, me, too. Every single day.”
A photograph of an x-ray of a Gazan child with a bullet in their neck.A photograph of an x-ray of a Gazan child with a bullet in their neck.A photograph of an x-ray of a Gazan child with a bullet in their head.
These photographs of X-rays were provided by Dr. Mimi Syed, who worked in Khan Younis from Aug. 8 to Sept. 5. She said: “I had multiple pediatric patients, mostly under the age of 12, who were shot in the head or the left side of the chest. Usually, these were single shots. The patients came in either dead or critical, and died shortly after arriving.” Dr. Mimi Syed
An enormous amount of information about the extent of the devastation in Gaza has been gleaned from satellite data, humanitarian organizations and Gaza’s Ministry of Health. However, Israel does not allow journalists or human rights investigators into Gaza outside of a very small number of embedded reporting trips with the Israeli military, and stories from Palestinian journalists in Gaza have not been read widely enough, despite the incredible risks they take in reporting there.
But there is a group of independent observers who have seen this war from the ground, day after day: volunteer health care workers.
Through personal contacts in the medical community and a good deal of searching online, I was able to get in touch with American health care workers who have served in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Many have familial or religious ties to the Middle East. Others, like me, do not, but felt compelled to volunteer in Gaza for a variety of reasons.
Using questions based on my own observations and my conversations with fellow doctors and nurses, I worked with Times Opinion to poll 65 health care workers about what they had seen in Gaza. Fifty-seven, including myself, were willing to share their experiences on the record. The other eight participated anonymously, either because they have family in Gaza or the West Bank, or because they fear workplace retaliation.
This is what we saw.
44 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw multiple cases of preteen children who had been shot in the head or chest in Gaza.
9 did not
12 did not regularly treat children in an emergency context
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of
Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
General, bariatric and foregut surgeon, 36 years old, Pittsburgh, Pa.
“One night in the emergency department, over the course of four hours, I saw six children between the ages of 5 and 12, all with single gunshot wounds to the skull.”
Nina Ng
Emergency nurse, 37 years old, New York City, N.Y.
“Pediatric gunshot-wound patients were treated on the floor, often bleeding out on the floor of the hospital due to lack of space, equipment, staff and support. Many died unnecessarily.”
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Orthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“I saw several children shot with high velocity bullet wounds, in both the head and chest.”
Dr. Irfan Galaria
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“Our team cared for about four or five children, ages 5 to 8 years old, that were all shot with single shots to the head. They all presented to the emergency room at the same time. They all died.”
Rania Afaneh
Paramedic, 23 years old, Savannah, Ga.
“I saw a child who had been shot in the jaw. No other part of his body was affected. He was fully awake and aware of what was going on. He stared at me while he choked on his own blood as I tried to suction the blood out with a broken suction unit.”
Dr. Khawaja Ikram
Orthopedic surgeon, 53 years old, Dallas, Texas
“One day, while in the E.R., I saw a 3-year-old and 5-year-old, each with a single bullet hole to their head. When asked what happened, their father and brother said they had been told that Israel was backing out of Khan Younis. So they returned to see if anything was left of their house. There was, they said, a sniper waiting who shot both children.”
Dr. Ahlia Kattan
Anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“I saw an 18-month-old little girl with a gunshot wound to the head.”
Dr. Ndal Farah
Anesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“I saw many children. In my experience the gunshot wound was often to the head. Many had non-curable, permanent brain damage. It was almost a daily occurrence to have children arrive at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the head.”
Times Opinion sent questions about the experiences of these American health care workers to the Israel Defense Forces. A spokesperson for the I.D.F. responded with a statement that did not directly answer whether or not the military had investigated reports of shootings of preteen children, or if any disciplinary action had been taken against soldiers for firing at children. The statement began, “The I.D.F. is committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity. In that spirit, the I.D.F. makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes. The I.D.F. is fully committed to respecting all applicable international legal obligations, including the Law of Armed Conflict.”
63 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed severe malnutrition in patients, Palestinian medical workers and the general population.
2 did not
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
Merril Tydings
Flight, emergency and critical care nurse, 44 years old, Santa Fe, N.M.
“These people were starving. I learned very quickly to not drink my water or eat the food I had brought in front of the health care workers because they had gone so many days without.”
Dr. Ndal Farah
Anesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“Malnutrition was widespread. It was common to see patients reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps with skeletal features.”
Abeerah Muhammad
Emergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“Everyone we met showed us pictures of themselves before October. They had all lost 20 to 60 pounds of weight. Most patients and staff looked emaciated and dehydrated.”
Asma Taha
Pediatric nurse practitioner, 57 years old, Portland, Ore.
“The head of the NICU, in particular, was almost unrecognizable — he had lost nearly half of his body weight compared to his prewar appearance. These changes were not just physical; they reflected the emotional and psychological toll the conflict had taken on those dedicated to caring for others, even as they struggled with their own personal losses and challenges.”
Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
Pulmonary and critical care doctor, 40 years old, Philadelphia, Pa.
“Every patient I treated had evidence of malnutrition. For example, poor wound healing and rapidly developing infections.”
Dr. Aman Odeh
Pediatrician, 40 years old, Austin, Texas
“Mothers on the maternity ward delivered prematurely because of malnutrition, stress and infection. Milk production was poor due to lack of hydration and adequate food supply.”
Dr. Mike Mallah
Trauma, critical care and general surgeon, 40 years old, Charleston, S.C.
“All of my patients were suffering from malnutrition, 100 percent.”
Dr. Deborah Weidner
General, child and adolescent psychiatrist, 58 years old, Hartford, Conn.
“The patients were very thin. I could see that their pants were too big, and their belts had been tightened.”
52 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed nearly universal psychiatric distress in young children and saw some who were suicidal or said they wished they had died.
10 did not
3 did not regularly work with children
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
Dr. Mimi Syed
Emergency medicine doctor, 44 years old, Olympia, Wash.
“One 4-year-old girl with major burns to her body was completely dissociated. She was staring out into space, humming a lullaby to herself. Not crying, but shaking and in utter shock.”
Dr. Ahlia Kattan
Anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“Every child I spent time with looked to me as a mother, for safety. They were lacking emotional security and physical security and it was very obvious to us from the way they clung to us and asked us to take them home in our suitcases.”
Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
Pediatric critical care doctor, 39 years old
“One child who had lost all his family wished he had been killed, too, saying: ‘Everyone I love is in heaven. I don’t want to be here anymore.’”
Laura Swoboda
Wound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“At one point while doing rounds on wound patients in the pediatric ward, the head nurse grabbed my arm and begged us to bring psychiatric help for them the next time we came.”
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
Trauma, critical care and general surgeon, 42 years old, Lathrop, Calif.
“Most children certainly enjoyed moments of happiness, but in general the children were frightened, on edge, desperate, hungry, thirsty and disoriented. One severely injured child, a young boy with a right leg amputation and broken right arm and left leg, repeatedly asked his mother why he couldn’t have died with his other family members.”
Abeerah Muhammad
Emergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“I treated multiple children with explosive and shrapnel injuries. Many children exhibited stoicism and did not cry even when in pain; this is an unusual psychological response in a child. We were forced to suture many lacerations without anesthetic, and children would be listless while we did this instead of resisting. I saw children who had witnessed many family members be killed in front of them. They all expressed the wish to be dead and join their families. I saw preteen and teenage children who had evidence of self-harm such as cutting on their forearms.”
Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
Pulmonary and critical care doctor, 41 years old, Ohio
“Many children would not speak for days, even with their family at bedside. One child would not accept a gift I brought of a little plastic car, because she did not want to touch or talk to anyone but her father.”
Dr. Adam Hamawy
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon, 55 years old, South Brunswick, N.J.
“Children who lost limbs and could not run or play specifically said they wished they had died, and some wanted to kill themselves.”
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Orthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“Many said that they wished the next bomb would just hit them to put an end to their torture.”
Rania Afaneh
Paramedic, 23 years old, Savannah, Ga.
“A child was brought in with her father after their home was bombed. Her father lay naked, covered by a thin plastic sheet in the bed next to her, unable to move while he listened to her screams. She was injured, but she wasn't screaming in pain. She was screaming for her mother and father, and was afraid until I put her in my lap and comforted her until she fell asleep.”
Dr. Talal Ali Khan
Nephrologist and internist, 40 years old, Oklahoma City, Okla.
“Many children in Gaza are not like normal kids. It seems like their childhood is wiped away. No smiles, no eye contact. They even don’t play like regular kids. I saw them just sitting and staring at their hands or their water bottles, not willing to interact with anybody.”
25 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw babies who had been born healthy return to hospitals and die from dehydration, starvation or infections caused by their malnourished mothers’ inability to breastfeed and a lack of infant formula and clean water.
8 did not
32 did not work with newborns
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
Laura Swoboda
Wound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“Infants that would normally survive in resource-rich settings died in Gaza. An infant that our pediatric cardiologist tended to overnight passed away, and later that day I saw the family carry out the small body wrapped in a medical surgical drape.”
Dr. Arham Ali
Pediatric critical care doctor, 38 years old, Loma Linda, Calif.
“Starved mothers would report to the I.C.U. begging for formula to feed their newborn children. Newborn babies only a few hours or days old would present to the hospital severely dehydrated, infected and hypothermic. Many babies died from these conditions which were 100 percent preventable deaths.”
Merril Tydings
Flight, emergency and critical care nurse, 44 years old, Santa Fe, N.M.
“It is very simple. A baby born to a malnourished mother is going to have difficulty thriving and growing with a continued lack of nutrients.”
Abeerah Muhammad
Emergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“There were hundreds of displaced families living in and around the hospital. The babies showed signs of acute dehydration including lethargy, sunken fontanels and eyes, no tears when crying and not producing urine.”
Monica Johnston
Burn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“One mother was discharged two hours after she gave birth. I saw her on my walk to the hospital a few days later and she was begging me for infant formula because she couldn’t produce enough milk.”
Asma Taha
Pediatric nurse practitioner, 57 years old, Portland, Ore.
“Every day, desperate families stopped by pleading for just a single can of formula to feed their starving newborns. Sadly, with supplies severly limited, we were often unable to meet their urgent needs.”
Dr. Aman Odeh
Pediatrician, 40 years old, Austin, Texas
“I worked in a neonatal I.C.U. Several infants died every day due to lack of medical supplies and appropriate nutrition. We had to make tough decisions about which very sick baby would be on the ventilator due to lack of equipment. I saw a family bringing in their dead 3-day-old infant who had been living in a tent.”
53 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw many children suffering from easily preventable infections, some of whom died from them.
1 did not
11 did not regularly work with children with infections
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Orthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“Children with relatively minor injuries, including fractures and burns, succumbed to their injuries when even in developing countries they could have easily been saved.”
Abeerah Muhammad
Emergency and critical care nurse, 33 years old, Dallas, Texas
“Women and girls were using tent scraps and pieces of diapers, towels and cloth as menstrual pads and acquiring toxic shock syndrome.”
Dr. Irfan Galaria
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“One hundred percent of my surgical patients developed infections. The wounds were dirty given the nature of the injury — rubble, debris.”
Dr. Ahlia Kattan
Anesthesiologist and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Costa Mesa, Calif.
“Multiple young patients had amputations that became infected. Poor wound healing from lack of sanitation and nutrition led to further amputations.”
Monica Johnston
Burn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“Nearly all new children admitted during my time died. Almost all of these deaths would not have happened if we had proper nutrition, infection control abilities (as simple as soap and hand sanitizer) and adequate supplies.”
Dr. Adam Hamawy
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon, 55 years old, South Brunswick, N.J.
“Nearly all the children that I cared for suffered from severe malnutrition. This resulted in difficulty healing from surgery and high infection rates. The mortality rate for injured children that I cared for was nearly 80 percent.”
Wilhelmi Massay
Critical care and trauma nurse, 50 years old
“The total lack of medical equipment and supplies made patients die from preventable infections.”
64 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed that even the most basic medical necessities, like soap and gloves, were usually unavailable in Gaza.
1 did not
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
An illustration of Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
An illustration of Dr. Mohamad Rassoul Abu-Nuwar
An illustration of Rania Afaneh
An illustration of Dr. Thaer Ahmad
An illustration of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
An illustration of Dr. Abdalrahman Algendy
An illustration of Dr. Arham Ali
An illustration of Dr. Abdullah Brown
An illustration of Dr. Salman Dasti
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Ebeid
An illustration of Dr. Hani El-Omrani
An illustration of Dr. Azeem Elahi
An illustration of Dr. Ndal Farah
An illustration of Dr. Karim Fikry
An illustration of Dr. Irfan Galaria
An illustration of Dr. Ammar Ghanem
An illustration of Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Adam Hamawy
An illustration of Dr. Ahmed Hassabelnaby
An illustration of Dr. Chandra Hassan
An illustration of Dr. Khawaja Ikram
An illustration of Monica Johnston
An illustration of Dr. Ahlia Kattan
An illustration of Dr. Aasif Kazi
An illustration of Dr. Mohammed Khaleel
An illustration of Dr. Sameer Khan
An illustration of Dr. Jawad Khan
An illustration of Dr. Talal Ali Khan
An illustration of Dr. Haseeb Khawaja
An illustration of Rana Mahmoud
An illustration of Brenda Maldonado
An illustration of Dr. Mike Mallah
An illustration of Dr. Gamal Marey
An illustration of Wilhelmi Massay
An illustration of Abeerah Muhammad
An illustration of Dr. Hisham Naji
An illustration of Nina Ng
An illustration of Dr. Aman Odeh
An illustration of Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis
An illustration of Dr. Ayaz Pathan
An illustration of Dr. Mark Perlmutter
An illustration of Dr. Nabeel Rana
An illustration of Bridget Rochios
An illustration of Dr. Mahmoud Sabha
An illustration of Dr. Syed Sayeed
An illustration of Dr. Haleh Sheikholeslami
An illustration of Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
An illustration of Laura Swoboda
An illustration of Dr. Mimi Syed
An illustration of Asma Taha
An illustration of Merril Tydings
An illustration of Dr. Deborah Weidner
An illustration of Dr. Steve Whiteley
An illustration of Dr. Ahmad Yousaf
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of
An illustration of Dr. John Kahler
Dr. Ndal Farah
Anesthesiologist, 42 years old, Toledo, Ohio
“We did surgery without drapes or surgical gowns. We reused equipment that should be disposable. I have been in other war zones, but this was exponentially worse than anything I’ve ever seen.”
Brenda Maldonado
Emergency nurse, 58 years old, Vancouver, Wash.
“Babies and children would come in with gunpowder burns from explosives — which are very painful — and we had zero of the proper pain medications or burn ointment to put on their wounds.”
Monica Johnston
Burn and wound critical care nurse, 45 years old, Portland, Ore.
“No I.V. caps for central lines, which left the port open and exposed to germs. No soap or hand sanitizer. No supplies to clean patients up, in bed, after they soiled themselves. I cleaned stool with a wad of cotton balls, which was a horrible, horrible mess.”
Dr. Ayman Abdul-Ghani
Cardiothoracic surgeon, 57 years old, Honolulu, Hawaii
“Sterilization was awful in the operating room. There were flies all over the place. There was sewage water on the hospital grounds where people were sheltering.”
Dr. Mohammed Al-Jaghbeer
Pulmonary and critical care doctor, 41 years old, Ohio
“Many wounds were infected due to lack of proper hygienic supplies. For the first time in my career, I saw fly maggots coming out of wounds.”
Dr. Ammar Ghanem
Pulmonary and critical care doctor, 54 years old, Detroit, Mich.
“We did not have P.P.E., including gloves, alcohol, gowns and soap. Flies were everywhere, transfering resistant bacteria and infections among patients. Patients who survived trauma died from infection.”
Dr. Irfan Galaria
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon, 48 years old, Chantilly, Va.
“I performed surgery with primitive sets of instruments. There was no pain medication for dressing changes or post-surgical patients left on the floor.”
Nina Ng
Emergency nurse, 37 years old, New York City, N.Y.
“We frequently took care of patients without gloves or proper hand hygiene — I had these resources in poor countries like Haiti.”
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Orthopedic and hand surgeon, 69 years old, Rocky Mount, N.C.
“If it wasn’t for the medical supplies that we brought in with us, there would have been none to use. Both the excessive morbidity and mortality attributed to just the lack of soap and proper sterilization was immeasurable.”
Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah
Pulmonary and critical care doctor, 37 years old, Tustin, Calif.
“Infections spread throughout the I.C.U., and all of the ventilators were colonized with very resistant bacteria. Most people on ventilators developed severe pneumonias.”
Dr. Mimi Syed
Emergency medicine doctor, 44 years old, Olympia, Wash.
“We reused nearly every piece of medical equipment — even those that are not meant to be reused — which led to infections. There were no antibiotics. Many times we ran out of running water, and power would go out in the hospital. We could not wash our hands.”
Laura Swoboda
Wound nurse practitioner, 37 years old, Mequon, Wis.
“Nearly every wound I saw was infected. I saw more maggots in one day than I had in my entire career as a wound specialist.”
What American physicians and nurses saw firsthand in Gaza should inform the United States’ Gaza policy. The lethal combination of what Human Rights Watch describes as indiscriminate military violence, what Oxfam calls the deliberate restriction of food and humanitarian aid, near-universal displacement of the population, and destruction of the health care system is having the calamitous effect that many Holocaust and genocide scholars warned of nearly a year ago.
American law and policy have long forbidden the transfer of weapons to nations and military units engaged in gross violations of human rights, especially — as a 2023 update to the United States Conventional Arms Transfer Policy makes clear — when those violations are directed at children. It is difficult to conceive of more severe violations of this standard than young children regularly being shot in the head, newborns and their mothers starving because of blocked food aid and demolished water infrastructure, and a health care system that has been destroyed.
For the past 12 months, it has been well within our government’s power to stop the flow of U.S. military aid to Israel. Instead, we fueled the fire at almost every opportunity, shipping over 50,000 tons of military equipment, ammunition and weaponry since the start of the war, according to a late-August update from the Israeli Defense Ministry. This amounts to an average of more than 10 transport planes and two cargo ships of arms per week.
Now, after more than a year of devastation, estimates of Palestinian deaths range from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. The International Rescue Committee describes Gaza as “the most dangerous place in the world to be an aid worker, as well as the most dangerous place to be a civilian.” UNICEF rates Gaza as “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.” Oxfam reports that in Al-Mawasi, the area Israel has designated as the humanitarian safe zone in Gaza, there is one toilet for every 4,130 people. At least 1,470 Israelis have been killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the following war. Half of the hostages who remain in Gaza are reportedly dead. And, while American officials blame Hamas for prolonging the war and hindering negotiations, Israeli news outlets consistently report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sabotaged cease-fire talks with both Hamas and Hezbollah while recklessly escalating the conflict instead of reaching an agreement that could achieve many of Israel’s stated war aims, including the release of Israeli hostages.
Was this ghastly outcome for the Palestinians and Israel worth corrupting the rule of law in our own society? Certainly, the Biden-Harris administration can’t say they didn't know what they were doing. Eight sitting U.S. senators, 88 members of the House of Representatives, 185 lawyers (including dozens working in the administration), and 12 civil servants (who resigned in protest of our Gaza policy) have told the administration that continuing to arm Israel is illegal under U.S. law. In September, ProPublica reported the lengths to which the Biden-Harris administration went to avoid complying with the laws that define clear consequences for countries, like Israel, that are blocking humanitarian aid. In these pages, the journalist and commentator Peter Beinart recently suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris can “signal a clear break” with the current administration’s disastrous Gaza policy during her run for president. How? “Ms. Harris should simply say that she’ll enforce the law.”
Together, Israel and the United States are turning Gaza into a howling wilderness. But it’s never too late to change course: We could stop Israel’s use of our weapons, ammunition, jet fuel, intelligence and logistical support by withholding them, and we could stanch the flow of weapons to all sides by announcing an international arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups. Enforcing American laws that require halting military aid to Israel would be a move with widespread support: humanitarian organizations, dozens of members of Congress, a majority of Americans and an overwhelming majority of U.N. member states all agree.
The horror must end. The United States must stop arming Israel.
And afterward, we Americans need to take a long, hard look at ourselves.
Read more about health care in Gaza
Two Weeks Inside Gaza’s Ruined Hospitals
Dr. Samer Attar, an American surgeon, shows the unfathomable brutality of the war in Gaza.
By Samer Attar, Alexander Stockton and Amanda Su
May 21, 2024
I’m a Pediatrician in Gaza. Please Save Us From This Horror.
There is still hope we can avoid the worst outcomes.
By Hussam Abu Safyia
Oct. 29, 2023
I Was a Doctor in Iraq. I Am Seeing a Nightmare Play Out Again.
The destruction of Gaza’s health care infrastructure and the justifications used to defend it feel hauntingly familiar.
By Omar Dewachi
Dec. 16, 2023
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is a trauma and general surgeon who worked at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza for two weeks in March and April. In July, with Dr. Mark Perlmutter, he wrote about his experiences in Gaza for Politico.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.
Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and Threads.
Opinion | What Doctors and Health Care Workers in Gaza Saw - The New York Times
Note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Illustrations by Taylor Maggiacomo. Graphics by Gus Wezerek. Additional production by Jeremy Ashkenas, Aileen Clarke and Isaac Scher.
Correction: Oct. 10, 2024
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated Dr. Jawad Khan’s medical specialty. He is an orthopedic and hand surgeon, not a cardiac anesthesiologist.
Read 440 Comments
Share full article
440
Related Content
More in Opinion
When Trump Rants, This Is What I Hear
Opinion
Photo illustration by Mel Haasch
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
This Is Why Trump Imagines He Will Win
Opinion
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press
Ignore the Polls
Opinion
Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times
Editors’ Picks
How Healthy Is Broccoli?
Lars Klove for The New York Times
One Thing Never to Say to a Grieving Friend
Photographs by Getty Images
Trending in The Times
K
===
===
No comments:
Post a Comment