Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
27 June 2024 | 16:00 CAT
2 min read

“Everything we see on social media is true, but the reality is far worse because every single person is affected” – These are the words of Dr Aziz Bhimani, who starkly compared Israel’s war on Gaza to the dystopian world of the “Hunger Games,” as he described his experience of working in Gaza, in an interview with Radio Islam.

“In my brief time there, every individual – be it healthcare professionals, patients, or someone on the street everyone has been displaced or dispossessed, they no longer have their house or most of their possessions. They all live in camps. Some reside with other people in overcrowded buildings. There is no free flow of food, no water or electricity. It is the entire population,” he explained.

He emphasised that even in a first-world country, if faced with what Gaza is experiencing, with the best hospital systems available, they would be overwhelmed. The sheer scale of atrocities and the influx of patients exceeds what any healthcare system can manage. Their healthcare infrastructure has been deliberately targeted, including their largest hospitals. He said, “To put it in an Australian context, there isn’t a hospital as large as their major hospitals that could cope with this crisis.”

Many preventable deaths are occurring unnoticed, especially among those with chronic diseases, due to a severe shortage of medical supplies and staff.

Dr. Bhimani expressed profound heartbreak over the ongoing deliberate and systematic targeting of the population in Gaza.

He was deeply moved by the extraordinary sense of humanity, describing it as incredible, and he found a sense of contentment and genuineness among the people there.

“The true heroes are all the medical staff who continue to work hard; even though they may not be paid, they themselves are displaced and hungry, but they turn up,” he said.

Dr Bhimani highlighted that on the ground, the reality they face has become so commonplace that it’s just another day for them. What’s particularly tragic is that this situation hasn’t just been ongoing since October 7; it has persisted for decades.

“It has been turned up significantly since October 7, but it is their resoluteness that gets them through. The only reason I can talk to you with any level of sanity is because I took strength from their strength,” he said.

Reflecting on his initial decision to go to Gaza, he shared that the first 48 hours were really tough on him and his family. But eventually, he found contentment in ‘what will be will be’ and discovered a sense of resolve. “There are no questions, this is a genocide, if there was ever a time to help out, this is it, add to the fact I am an orthopaedic surgeon I thought I could be of some assistance. The reality is how I can face my lord. How do I face the Palestinian refugee in 10 years’ time when he asks what was I doing when I knew there was a genocide? The decision was simple but the execution was difficult,” he said.

Dr Bhimani believes we all have a role to play. He also commended South Africa’s remarkable efforts in bringing this attention to the world. “This is something that challenges the long-term state of Israel and the occupation, the external pressure is what they require,” he said.

Bhimani describes the daily life on the streets of Palestine, emphasising that the “smell of death” truly affected him. “It looks like dystopian, every single building, mosques, churches, and schools are destroyed. Not many people are on the street because of worries about being bombed. The hospital is overcrowded, people are everywhere,” he said.

Dr. Bhimani likened the situation to the Hunger Games. “I am saddened and scared by how we as humans can inflict harm on each other,” he added.

He expressed his desire to return; however, he strongly asserted that at the moment, what the Palestinians need most is for peace and for the bombs to stop. He highlighted the importance of advocacy efforts as a means to help for the greater good.

LISTEN to the full interview with Muallimah Annisa Essack and Dr Aziz Bhimani, here.

*Dr Bhimani is an Australian Orthopaedic surgeon who recently participated in a United National humanitarian medical convoy to Gaza.