Organizations are raising money for medical students from Gaza to continue their studies abroad. Continuing their medical education is vital to ensuring the future of healthcare in Gaza.

At a family gathering last May, everyone in Basma Ismail Kurd’s family was looking forward to her niece playing doctor. But after the last escalation between Israel and Hamas, and witnessing death and destruction around her, she no longer wants to become a physician. What do you tell a ten-year-old who has witnessed carnage around her, when you’re also traumatized yourself?

Over 16,000 housing units were damaged during the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, and 1,800 units were completely destroyed. While that destruction is immense, what those numbers don’t capture is what else was lost in those places — the irreplaceable photos, keepsakes, and possessions and that made each a home.

Medical professionals in Gaza are finally starting to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Mohammed Abdelmanem, a 47-year-old pulmonologist, will be among the first wave to receive a vaccine this week. He says he’s looking forward to finally not being afraid.

Allison Deger talks with Safwan Fayyad, a 30-year-old senior resident and internist at the Ramallah Medical Complex, about being on the front lines against the coronavirus in the West Bank. “Until now we are keeping pace with the patient load,” Fayyad says, “but if we face a serious outbreak where a majority of people would get sick that would be a disaster here.”