Medical Students in Gaza Need Resources and International Solidarity
By Nermeen Ziyad with support from Yara Changyit-Levin
Content Warning: The following contains graphic depictions of violence and war that might be disturbing to some readers.
My name is Nermeen abo Mostafa, and I am a 21-year-old medical student in Gaza. I am passionate about science, my social life, and reciting poetry. Today, I am sharing my story with you to tell the truth about what it means to study medicine during a genocide.
Nermeen at the doctor’s residence of the European Gaza Hospital, inside the College of Nursing.
Interrupted Medical Education
When I finished secondary school in 2021, I got 98.9% in the scientific branch, and since childhood I had always dreamed of enrolling in the College of Human Medicine. Unfortunately, I was not able to obtain any scholarship to leave Gaza for my education. My family has helped to pay for my education within Gaza, despite all the challenges, high costs, and long distances.
Before this war, we lived safe and secure in our homes, but this war came and changed everything. It stole our safety and killed many of my friends and family members without mercy.
In the past year, we have moved from one place to another, searching for safety, but in reality there is no safe place in Gaza. My family and I have been displaced seven times. We have lived in tents under high temperatures, lack of hygiene, the spread of epidemics, and famines.
My dreams almost disappeared completely when my university was destroyed. When electronic learning became an option, however, I immediately decided to register and complete my studies. My dream since childhood is to become a wonderful humanitarian doctor, and I will not allow a war that destroys everything to destroy my dream as well.
Death During Displacement
I have volunteered in medical settings since the beginning of the war, and I am currently a volunteer doctor at the European Gaza Hospital. The health sector in Gaza has been destroyed to a very large extent. We are trying to work effectively despite our lack of medicine and tools.
Nermeen in the emergency department of the European Gaza Hospital, early in the morning before work.
Seven months ago, many wounded people died before my eyes because of our lack of capabilities. For months, we were surrounded by occupation vehicles, and many people were injured by random gunshots or shrapnel from bombing.
Among them was my neighbor, who lived near me before my displacement. He was hit by three bullets, one of which was in the stomach, which led to a rupture of the intestines. We tried to control the external bleeding and administer the necessary first aid, but we knew that he needed quick surgical intervention to save his life. However, it would be difficult for the ambulance to reach us because of the surrounding danger. Within half an hour, he breathed his last breath.
This was the first shock I experienced in my professional career because I was helpless while providing first aid. I remember that he said to me, “Doctor, I don’t want to die, help me.”
When he was killed, I sat on the floor crying. I chose to study medicine in order to save lives, yet when I saw a life in danger before me and the patient directly asked me for help, I was powerless to save him.
I still try to help as much as I can.
During my displacement in Mawasi Khan Yunis, there was shelling near me. Fragments and stones reached the tents, while four-year-old Masa played with her brothers inside their tent, which faced mine. When a large stone hit Masa’s head, her mother screamed. She carried her daughter, blood pouring from the little girl's head. Masa, my young neighbor, took her last breath.
The chunk of concrete that struck and killed Masa.
When I carried her from her mother, I felt that there was something strange on my hand. I looked and saw the brain of this child. I realized that even if we performed first aid, we would not be able to restore her breathing. The smell of her blood on my clothes lingered in my head after sending the girl to the hospital. It is stuck in my mind.
I cannot forget the screams of her mother, crying with sorrow and fear, and saying, “I was making milk for my daughter over the fire because she had been asking for it for days.” Masa was massacred before she could drink the milk she was asking for.
Masa’s blood staining Nermeen’s clothes.
When we went to Masa’s tent, I found blood stains and coloring supplies scattered throughout the place. Masa had been playing with her brothers and coloring, but they stole her, killed her. With these situations and many others I’ve survived, I felt collapsed, helpless. However, I am still determined to move forward. I must convey the voice of truth – what we suffer from, what we see – and achieve my dream.
Gaza’s Health Future: A Global Health Future
I do not know what healthcare will look like in the future. I do not know if Gaza will be supported and an attempt will be made to return things to normal. Many health workers have been killed, and most health centers have been destroyed. Yet, the European Hospital is trying to continue the work despite our greatly limited capabilities. There is a great need for manpower, medications, and medical tools.
As medical students in Gaza, we need tools to help us study. We need electricity, strong internet, and books. We need a safe environment. Our health has become weak, and we are unable to concentrate without good food.
Nermeen training other students in basic nursing skills during the Fall 2024 semester.
Do you know how I study? Do you ever wonder how the medical students of Gaza access and submit their exams? Despite the power outage and the lack of books, I walk long distances to search for good internet so I can download lectures and take online exams.
I use solar energy to charge my phone, but its battery does not help me much in studying because it depletes within a few hours. I have to organize my study materials extremely efficiently to make the most of my limited battery life. I download files and books onto my phone, which is my best option despite the small text and my headaches from malnutrition.
Often, we cannot sleep due to the abundance of danger: the sounds of explosions and bullets. Yet, despite everything, I have not given up and I will never give up. There is a dream waiting for me; there are people who need help; there are lives that need to be saved. I am walking towards my dream, while trying to do good everywhere.
My advice to the international medical community during a crisis is to try to retain students and workers and provide them with a safe environment. Help medical students reach safety and continue their studies during the crisis, because they are more needed than ever.
Nermeen Ziyad is a 21-year-old, third year medical student currently located in Khan Yunis. She volunteers at the European Gaza Hospital, primarily in the emergency department, and she teaches a nursing skills course.
Yara Changyit-Levin, a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Public Health and Anthropology, edited and submitted this piece on behalf of Nermeen to ease her workload, storage, and internet access issues.