Heroic Gaza pediatrician continues to treat genocide victims after losing leg
Deir el-Balah, Gaza - Palestinian pediatrician Khaled al-Saidani moves through his Gaza hospital with determination, using a prosthetic leg and an aluminum walker as he cares for children also injured in the genocide.
With a stethoscope draped over his shoulders, he carefully examines his patients at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, offering warm smiles and handshakes to the children as he moves from one to the next.
He knows all too well the devastating impact of wounds sustained during the genocide, having lost his right leg after an Israeli air strike on his house last year.
"I was injured by shrapnel, and because I am diabetic, things got worse for me, and we had to amputate my leg," Saidani told AFP at the hospital in central Gaza.
The prosthetic "is tiring and has several downsides, but I'm able to move and walk," he said as he examined a patient.
A child with bandaged fingers and an IV tube watched as Saidani conducted an examination.
Al-Aqsa Hospital, particularly its general ward, is crowded with patients and their relatives, many receiving treatment for injuries from Israeli bombardment.
Vast areas around the medical facility in Deir el-Balah have come under heavy assault by the Israeli military, attacks which have intensified even further in recent months.
Israel accused of targeting Gaza healthcare workers
Israel's genocide in Gaza has taken a devastating toll on healthcare workers as well as medical facilities since October 7, 2023.
A recent report by UN experts, quoting figures provided by the territory's health ministry, said at least 1,057 Palestinian health and medical professionals have been killed in Gaza since that time.
On Wednesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lamented the "continuing attacks on health facilities across the Gaza Strip," which they said meant people were unable to access the treatment they need.
Most of the 36 hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip have been rendered inoperative. The territory's largest, Al-Shifa Hospital, sustained heavy damage in an Israeli military raid, and now only has its emergency ward open.
Meanwhile, doctors like Saidani continue to provide what treatment they can to the patients flooding into barely functioning facilities like Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
"Despite the prosthetic limb that makes me tired, I'm happy and comfortable doing my job, which is why I decided to return to work," Saidani said.
Relatives of patients are also happy that he is back around.
"My daughter suffers from kidney disease," said a woman whose child, Mira Hamid, is being treated at the hospital. "Despite the amputation of his leg, Doctor Khaled al-Saidani follows up with his patients and provides his services. May God bless his hard work."
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / APAimages