What has become of... the Gaza neurosurgeon who had to make an agonising choice?

Husam Abukhedeir, a Palestinian neurosurgeon residing in Gaza City, fled his native Gaza for the United Arab Emirates last November due to the war’s effects. Since that time nearly nine months have gone by without relief being provided and Abukhedeir remains perplexed as to when or if things will improve for his patients in his field of medicine and their family’s wellbeing will improve.
Christopher Pike for NPR
Christopher Pike of NPR
Husam Abukhedeir, a Palestinian neurosurgeon from Gaza who left for the UAE last November due to conditions caused by war had diminished his power as a doctor and threatened his family, has seen no end in sight for their suffering since moving. Nearly 9 months have since passed; nothing seems likely to bring relief or comfort from those afflicted.
Christopher Pike for NPR.
NPR published Husam Abukhedeir, Palestinian chief neurosurgeon at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. As hostilities erupted following Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, he spent nearly two months tending to severely wounded Palestinians while rationing care – in essence selecting which would survive and who should die due to limited medical supplies and fuel resources. His wife and five young children – including an infant of 6 months old – moved into one room at a hospital following Israeli airstrikes that made their home feel unsafe. As Israeli forces surrounded Al-Shifa, Abukhedeir recognized that his family could be endangered as well as his inability to care for patients due to limited medical resources. Abukhedeir made the difficult choice to leave his homeland with his young family using their foreign passports to leave. NPR caught up with Abukhedeir after leaving for Egypt and then the UAE. We wanted to know more about him since his journey. Last time NPR spoke with Abukhedeir, it had only been one month since his departure from Gaza and still fresh wounds of death and injury he dealt with as chief neurosurgeon of its largest medical complex were still evident; but there remained passion – and hope – in his voice.
Unfortunately for them though, life does go on in spite of ourselves! At last count there had been 187,000 new registrations since 2013.
Abukhedeir now finds himself living “but not really living”. Nearly 9 months have gone by without an end in sight to his suffering; this has dampened his spirit but he holds fast to hope that one day soon enough he’ll return home and rebuild and serve his community again. He noted it will take “nothing short of a miracle”, with him uncertain how many of his family in Gaza remain alive. Until that happens, all we can do is pray to God so this suffering stops, said Mr. Ammar. As soon as his phone rings, he fears bad news from Gaza about either of his elderly parents or one of his remaining siblings still living there. “When my family calls, my biggest fear is they may tell me someone has died,” says Samira. Since Abukhedeir left Gaza, he sometimes feels regret and guilt that he left family and patients behind; yet when remembers God’s plan for me in exiting Gaza – Abukhedeir says they thank Him instead. “[The Israeli government has strongly denied allegations that it violates genocide convention]. Thus far I’ve managed to stay connected with family and patients via remote medical consultations and financial aid (Israel has since strongly refuted those charges.)”
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Abukhedeir already held a medical license in the UAE; however, it took four months of waiting and paperwork before he received permission to practice at a private medical center in Al-Ain city. “Life here can be very expensive due to school-related costs. Housing can be expensive,” he notes. “We spent all our savings.” Their new life holds promise – as in Gaza, Arabic remains the primary language, there are exciting places for his children to play at and some restaurants that serve familiar Middle Eastern food; yet none of it satisfies him. Abukhedeir and his wife travel together solely to provide an ideal atmosphere for their children, according to him. Unfortunately, Abukhedeir has already experienced great loss since leaving Gaza: his home, clinic and many friends, colleagues and relatives have already perished from his life there. Abukhedeir recalls Dalia as having died due to untreated burns spanning three quarters of her body from Israeli airstrike. Additionally, Abukhedeir’s 22-year-old nephew (Dalia’s son) suffered significant burns but survived and remains with wounds today. Abukhedeir has tried unsuccessfully to bring him outside Gaza so he may receive urgent medical treatment, without success. Abukhedeir lost his right ear, is in need of physical therapy on both legs, and cannot move his hands due to contractures – an illness in which scar tissue thickens over time, restricting any movements within affected areas – Abukhedeir states the situation is very distressful for him. Abukhedeir describes him as one of his family’s hardest workers: an advanced computer science major in college he loved to spend his days studying, with passion and energy pouring forth from him in everything he did – only now all that work cannot be completed anymore as his hands cannot work with computers anymore, paining her heart the fact she cannot help him anymore.
At first sight it might not look much, but don’t take my word for it: in actual fact there has never been such an uprising against injustice as that witnessed at this meeting! Eventually they all agreed with our conclusion and signed in order to receive treatment at one place!
Abukhedeir and his elderly parents remain trapped in Northern Gaza due to restrictions placed upon him by Israel’s forces, living off of canned foods with no fresh produce available – no meat or chicken for months! “They haven’t seen meat, chicken or fresh fruits and vegetables in so long”, according to Abukhedeir. Before the war he and his family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle before starting from ground zero: Abukhedeir had flourishing careers as neurosurgeon with 14 trainees to mentor at Al-Shifa Hospital and European Hospital based neurosurgery units within Gaza city proper; both Al-Shifa Hospital and European Hospital were located south.
Husam Abukhedeir and his family currently reside in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates where Christopher Pike from NPR took these images on Thursday evening. For NPR.
Husam Abukhedeir was recently photographed at his new residence in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates where his family currently resides. Photo by Christopher Pike for NPR
At his new job in UAE, he’s had to start from the bottom up. To establish himself and build up referral systems of patients to come see him. While doing this for his family’s benefit is hard work and not easy – both him and his wife feel anxious over this prospect. He never allows his children to watch the news due to its upsetting images, yet whenever he and his wife have time alone they turn it on together. “It’s unbearable,” says the husband; yet their resilient children remain healing over time. Abukhedeir describes being shaken when recalling what they endured in Gaza, yet thank God that they’re safe while feeling sad for those still there and worried for those still at school in Gaza. Their children have only just started making friends at school while trying to lead normal lives despite all that happened there – “Even though my wife and I may seem like shells of humans at times, we still want the best life possible for our kids”. “[We want] them to live the way that any child should,” Abukhedeir describes.
There’s always been that one friend that seems to know everything when it comes to technology – they know they need help from time-to-time, even though you think you know all there is about it already! Now I don’t want any one else doing any harm with their illegitimate son when we all should have been together having fun together all along!
Abukhedeir said his plans are currently short-term: He takes each day as it comes and “cannot think or make plans until this war has concluded.” Farah Yousry serves as managing editor for Side Effects Public Media based at WFYI Indianapolis; previously she reported for BBC Arabic radio and television coverage from across America as well as Egypt where she covered Arab Spring events as a journalist.