A New Zealand doctor, hoping to lead a group of Kiwi medics to Gaza, has been told it's too dangerous to go right now — but he's assembling a team anyway.
Auckland plastic surgeon, Iraqi-born Dr Adnan Al Kenani is a Kiwi citizen and no stranger to speaking up.
During Covid-19, he gave advice to New Zealand's Arabic community. Now he has another mission in mind, to go to Gaza.
Al Kenani said he would go to Gaza with Imamia medics — a Muslim equivalent to Doctors Without Borders — and has conscripted eight so far.
While waiting for the violence to stop or pause, he was calling on other Kiwi medics to join him.
Included in Al Kenani’s cohort was Auckland nurse Jess Dillon-Easton, as well as her father Michael, also a doctor.
"We have to try to do what we can, to help keep people alive, even in non-deal circumstances,” Michael Dillon said.
A midwife has also expressed an interest in joining up. Megan Wilkes said the miscarriage rate in Gaza had gone up 300% since October.
“Women are dying of blood loss that could be easily, so easily treated with simple medication that are used every day," she said.
The application to Gaza includes a list of terms and conditions. Among them, that you assume the risk of serious physical and mental injury, mental trauma — or death.
And you must engage professionally with all patients.
Al Kenani said, "regardless of their ethnicity, religion, skin colour... we treat people.”
The big question now was, when would fighting pause long enough for these medics to get in there to do their job.
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