Dearest friends –
The last night was extreme. The “ground invasion” of Gaza resulted in scores and carloads with maimed, torn apart, bleeding, shivering, dying – all sorts of injured Palestinians, all ages, all civilians, all innocent.
The heroes in the ambulances and in all of Gaza’s hospitals are working 12-24 hrs shifts, grey from fatigue and inhuman workloads (without payment all in Shifa for the last 4 months), they care, triage, try to understand the incomprehensible chaos of bodies, sizes, limbs, walking, not walking, breathing, not breathing, bleeding, not bleeding humans. HUMANS!
Now, once more treated like animals by “the most moral army in the world” (sic!).
My respect for the wounded is endless, in their contained determination in the midst of pain, agony and shock; my admiration for the staff and volunteers is endless, my closeness to the Palestinian “sumud” gives me strength, although in glimpses I just want to scream, hold someone tight, cry, smell the skin and hair of the warm child, covered in blood, protect ourselves in an endless embrace – but we cannot afford that, nor can they.
Ashy grey faces – Oh NO! not one more load of tens of maimed and bleeding, we still have lakes of blood on the floor in the ER, piles of dripping, blood-soaked bandages to clear out – oh – the cleaners, everywhere, swiftly shovelling the blood and discarded tissues, hair, clothes, cannulas – the leftovers from death – all taken away…to be prepared again, to be repeated all over. More then 100 cases came to Shifa last 24 hrs. enough for a large well trained hospital with everything, but here – almost nothing: electricity, water, disposables, drugs, OR-tables, instruments, monitors – all rusted and as if taken from museums of yesterdays hospitals.But they do not complain, these heroes. They get on with it, like warriors, head on, enormous resolute.
And as I write these words to you, alone, on a bed, my tears flows, the warm but useless tears of pain and grief, of anger and fear. This is not happening!
An then, just now, the orchestra of the Israeli war-machine starts its gruesome symphony again, just now: salvos of artillery from the navy boats just down on the shores, the roaring F16, the sickening drones (Arabic ‘Zennanis’, the hummers), and the cluttering Apaches. So much made and paid in and by US.
Mr. Obama – do you have a heart?
I invite you – spend one night – just one night – with us in Shifa. Disguised as a cleaner, maybe.
I am convinced, 100%, it would change history.
Nobody with a heart AND power could ever walk away from a night in Shifa without being determined to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.
But the heartless and merciless have done their calculations and planned another “dahyia” onslaught on Gaza.
The rivers of blood will keep running the coming night. I can hear they have tuned their instruments of death.
Please. Do what you can. This, THIS cannot continue.
Mads
Gaza, Occupied Palestine
Mads Gilbert is Professor and Clinical Head, the Clinic of Emergency Medicine, at the University Hospital of North Norway, in Tromsø, Norway. He volunteers in Gaza.
Do go Mr. Obama, and bring as many Israeli sycophants as you like with you. Perhaps your visit will bring an immediate halt to the massacre by Israel.
Have an Iftar à la Shifa.
PS– don’t forget to pack food. there’s really not much there. oh, and they could use some medicines, iv fluids, supplies, bandages, supplies, potable water, supplies, generators with fuel, supplies, donated blood, etc.
Mads– thank you for this, and for the work you are doing. I am so sorry for your grief and for the loss of life and limb and hope.
Dybtfølt tak
First, people underestimate commitment. Individuals in today’s selfish, superficial world who are committed day after day, year upon year to alleviating human suffering should be honored with the highest respect. It’s very difficult to stay committed to the cause of human suffering when the easy way out is so readily available. It takes profound humanity to carry on in such a harrowing scenario. Such humanity should lie within all but unfortunately it’s very far from the case.
How do you thank someone like Mads Gilbert for hanging in there with the Palestinians in Gaza and the tragedy in which they are imprisoned that reflects the world’s callous ignorance? Words are futile to recognize this sacrifice. God bless you.
About Obama: like all or most American politicians and Americans for that matter there is only self-interest there. Obama prefers right now to distract himself with a political football that scores him points – taking down Russia.
Obama, who had the uncouth nerve to insult Muslims at the WH iftar will never side with the Palestinians. Obama could care less that children are being targetted in Gaza playing on the beach, inside their homes, their schools or even on the way to a hospital in an ambulance after being injured. He could care less that Israel’s invasion is a pretext behind which lies a genocidal strategy to abort the demographic threat or at least arrest it until an even more devious and effective solution arises.
Everyone, even here on this site should read this article and picture themselves in this Zionist slaughterhouse called Gaza, because no one understands the depth of pain being suffered in Gaza and the trauma people live with there with no end in sight and the level of commitment of amazing human beings like Mads Gilbert who are actually there to help in such a hopeless situation.
Once again, we are witnessing the truth emerge: Zionism is evil and anyone who thinks otherwise should examine his/her conscience.
You are brave Mads Gilbert, a true hero!
Mads have earlier put out this book on Gaza Cast Lead attack.
http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Gaza-Mads-Gilbert/dp/070437191X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405793125&sr=8-1&keywords=mads+gilbert
So much respect for everyone doing this work for humanity in Gaza hospitals. And for the people in Gaza suffering, dying and grieving, I hope they will have healing, peace, and most importantly justice.
If Israel is only targeting Hamas, then Obama, the Congress, and other Israeli defenders, can easily go into Gaza. Just make sure you do not go into civilian structures.
That is where the precision bombs go.