I wrote an article a little while back for my school paper covering a talk I attended featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert, one of the only Western doctors allowed into Gaza during the war there in 08/09.  It was a riveting talk, and I meant to share the article with you sooner, but hey, better late than never.

Here it is:

One night, during Israel’s offensive in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009, Dr. Mads Gilbert turned to his colleague, Dr. Hameed, at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. For hours they’d been working non-stop to care for the countless war-wounded, performing surgeries and amputations on predominantly young Palestinians.

"How can this go on?" asked an exhausted Dr. Gilbert. There had been no news of foreign aid, and countless civilians continued to rush into the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The doctor had been deeply affected by the plight of the wounded Palestinians.

Dr. Hameed replied immediately. "We have no human rights."

In a 90-minute lecture at the end of January at Ryerson University, Dr. Gilbert, one of just two foreign doctors allowed into Gaza during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, transports a crowd of eager attendees into Al-Shifa hospital, right into the middle of the war.

The doctor presents dozens of photos of the war-wounded Palestinians who sought aid at the health care centre. The photos are horribly gruesome. Legs are blown apart, bones pop out from underneath broken flesh, young faces are bloodied and miserable.

Members of the audience can barely look. A man in the first row turns away every time a photo is shown. He wears an expression of pain. A woman in the third row is weeping. She is of Palestinian descent, but she never looks away.

Dr. Gilbert describes how hard it was to help those Gazans in dire need. "There was no electricity," he explains. "The hospital ran on two unreliable generators because Israel shut the area’s power off. Sometimes doctors operated with the lights from their mobile phones."

Dr. Gilbert describes one particular patient’s case in detail. "This is Joumana Samoni, a four-month-old baby," says the doctor, as he presents a photo of a beautiful young girl with only two fingers on one hand. "Her hand was injured and three of her fingers were amputated."

Samoni was forcefully ejected, along with her family, from her home by Israeli forces in Gaza. Her father, grandmother and grandfather were all killed. Her mother went missing. Samoni came to the hospital alone, but was eventually reunited with her mother.

Dr. Gilbert also presents many statistics and graphs. He tells the audience, now queasy from the photos, that for every dead Israeli, 100 Palestinians were killed. Of the approximately 1400 dead Palestinians, 431 were children. "And 85 to 90 per cent of those killed were civilians. More than 5000 were injured…more than 20,000 were left homeless," he says.

The doctor paints a grim picture of life in Gaza. He takes no credit for the work he and his colleague, Dr. Erik Fosse, did as physicians there during the war. "We are no heroes. The heroes are still in Gaza."

This article appeared in the Ryerson Free Press’s February issue.

As Gazans mark the anniversary of last month’s bombardment by Israel, children in the strip are suffering more and more. Israel’s bombing of the Gaza strip in 2006 and the winter of 2008/09 has reportedly caused birth defects in Gazan children, according to doctors in the strip.

High levels of toxins caused by the bombs, as well as the trauma of the war, is cited as one of the main reasons doctors are seeing a higher number of defects in children born since 2006.

A news story by Al Jazeera English reports on the trauma of one child affected by the bombing. His mother was forced to give birth in a “makeshift” clinic during the bombing last year and her son, Mohammad, has cerebral palsy:

I’m writing this as I update the Air France 447 story. That story is nuts, very mysterious. The LOST jokes keep pouring in. The similarities are eerie, but still, be tasteful people. If you haven’t seen, we’ve been updating the story all through yesterday and today, so hit up the news section or click the blue link above to see all the developments.

But this isn’t about that. The 447 story has flooded the media so much the last two days that a lot of people are forgetting about a major event happening this week; President Obama’s speech to Islam on Thursday. He will orate from the University of Cairo in Egypt.

The speech is being billed as, potentially, one of his most important as President. That’s true so far, but no one knows what the future holds.

Obama has said he wants to repair, rightfully so, the relationship between America and the Muslim community. He’s definitely the best candidate for that job as someone who can use his wealth of popularity around the world to influence both parties.

He’s a celebrity with the younger generation, a generation that doesn’t see religion as an inhibiting characteristic. His speech should, and probably will be, directed towards the next generation of policy makers and leaders who will essentially define the relationship between the U.S. and Islam for another 50 or so years.

The speech will also be focused on current leaders and influential beings in both communities. A key thing he should stress, I think, is friendship and tolerance.

The way in which Islam is portrayed in western media is not its true form. Extremists have soiled the foundation of the world’s second largest religion. A lot of people have an innate prejudice towards anyone who looks remotely Muslim or even just dark and suspicious.

I’m not Muslim and I’ve experienced that on subways and buses in Toronto.

Obama will also repeat a point that has been stressed in the past, that the U.S. is not at war with Islam. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not a direct attack on Islam, he’ll say. Many believe they are, however, the battles bear no reflection on religion or the American view of Islam, he’ll say.

“There are misapprehensions about the West on the part of the Muslim world. And, obviously, there are some big misapprehensions about the Muslim world when it comes to those of us in the West,” said Obama in an interview with BBC.

That is true. Many of the misunderstandings take place on home soil, both American and Islamic.

The speech won’t focus directly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a conflict that drew media attention yet again after Obama told Israel to stop building settlements in Gaza. That request was denied by Israel.

The speech will however talk about the Arab-Israeli conflict as a whole. Obama will reference, perhaps, a two-state solution and stress peace in the Middle East (yeah, yeah). A peace that can only be achieved by reaching some fair solution, which will no doubt be tough since neither side wants to give up more than necessary but will have to negotiate and sacrifice to create an amicable resolution.

People in the Muslim world love Obama. “Everybody is looking for him as the magical man,” said Ibrahim El Moallem, an influential cultural figure in Egypt, according to CNN.

“We think if he can handle the problem of the Arab-Israeli conflict not in a biased, not in a double-standard way, and if he can really begin to reach an overall, comprehensive, just peace, this will immediately win the heart and mind of the Arab and the Muslim,” he added.

He’s got legions of fans and backers on both ends of both conflict. Arabs trust his judgment, Israelis view him as a reasonable, albeit ambitious, seeker of peace. And Americans, well, just check his approval ratings and compare them to the last guy.

There hasn’t been this much hope surrounding Mid-East peace in some time. But only a few times in history has there been more need.

As both the President of the United States and as someone who has lived in Muslim countries and has Muslim family, Obama has an automatic respect from both sides. He is a representative of both, while being a representative of one.

To Americans he’s Barack Obama, to Muslims he’s Barack Hussein Obama.

Barack Obama promised change and it is going to come in a flurry, so this new daily feature will document the substance of the executive orders, foreign policy deals, overhauls in regulation, and congressional legislation that will hopefully be coming out of Washington at a frenetic pace.‚  If you’re looking for analysis and/or political theatre as well as sports or anything else worth commenting on go to Blast Magazine’s PSA blog.

• Executive order promises to close Guantanamo and CIA secret prisons within a year.

• Government salaries have been frozen if they’re over 100k and strict new ethics rules are now in effect.

• Obama tells Israel to open up Gaza borders.

• In what could be big trouble for Bush, Obama opens up public access to Presidential Records.

This is just the beginning…

It took more than 1200 lives, but it finally came. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared a unilateral ceasefire late Saturday night, and is now working to try and stifle the “resupply of Hamas through smuggling from Egypt,” the New York Times reports.

Olmert said all of Israel’s objectives had been reached, and there was no reason for them to continue the fight. Hamas however has vowed to fight on, and will not honor the ceasefire declaration.

The announcement came on the same day an Israeli tank fired at a UN school, killing two young brothers.

The ceasefire could mean an end to the deadly three-week old war, however no guarantee of lasting peace can be made at this time.

For now, the world will be bitterly satisfied that Israel has stopped murdering innocent Gazans. However, as a term in the ceasefire outlines, if Hamas keeps firing at Israel, Israel can fire back.

I’m happy, but a little skeptical and cautious.

Even though we all know Israel officially crossed the line a long time ago, attacking the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza cements their status as being absolutely out of their minds.

Israel’s military fired shells at the agency on Thursday, because, they claim, Hamas militants were firing on them from near the compound and then ran inside to take cover.‚ 

The solution? Strike UN headquarters…

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told him the strike was a “grave mistake,” the New York Times reports. The secretary general, who visited Israel on Thursday to try and press for a ceasefire, told media he expressed “strong protest and outrage” toward Israel.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the Relief and Works Agency, told media that Israel had been provided with the coordinates for all UN facilities in Gaza, which could signal another attack forthcoming.

This strike came as Israeli military push further into Gaza, forcing thousands of residents to frantically flee their homes.

Many other buildings were hit in the city’s center, including a building housing several media organizations.

This isn’t the first time Israel has attacked a UN facility in the 20-day offensive. Earlier, a shell landed just outside a UN school in Norther Gaza, killing at least 40 Palestinians.

Israel, in a feeble attempt to justify the deaths, said that they were being fired at from just a yard away from the school, and that one of their retaliation strikes fell “off the mark,” the New York Times reports.

On a more positive note,‚ Egypt‚ has confirmed major breakthroughs in their attempt to pass an interim ceasefire that could now be less than a week away. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, went to‚ Egypt‚ recently to further the talks, according to the New York Times.

The death toll in Gaza has officially surpassed 1000.

Eighteen days and no end in sight. On Sunday Israeli troops pushed further into Gaza, as Israeli officials said they were closing in on accomplishing‚ their‚ objective of breaking Hamas, the New York Times reports.

Nearly 1000 Palestinians have been killed (including almost 300 children) and more than 4000 have been injured by the attacks‚ perpetrated‚ by Israel’s military forces.

The UN recently approved a resolution to condemning Israel for “mass violations of human rights of the Palestinian people.” ‚ Hear hear.

The resolution also accuses Israel of‚ targeting‚ civilians and medical facilities, something Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has categorically denied since launching the offensive.

President Bush recently called for Hamas to stop attacking Israel in order for a “sustainable ceasefire” to come into place. Bush hasn’t been exactly secretive when expressing his support for Israel,‚ however‚ his reluctance to condemn their actions (minus saying that they should be mindful of “innocent folks”…) is pretty‚ appalling.

Israel’s disregard for Palestinian civilians is obviously‚ disappointing. So much for the concept of moral‚ universalism. Protecting civilians should be a number one priority for them if they truly‚ believe‚ the war should be waged on Hamas and Hamas alone.

Israel is blasting Gaza to pieces, and saying their target is only Hamas and they want to make sure‚ civilian‚ deaths are minimal? Unbelievable and disgusting. Almost 400 women and children are dead and Israel says they are closer to reaching their goal than ever before.

Accomplishing a goal by these means is no victory. Israel has created a humanitarian disaster in Israel that has escalated to a point that is out of proportion with the damage that Hamas has inflicting on Israel.

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been settling back into university life here in Toronto.‚  A lot has happened since my last post, especially in Gaza.

A couple of days ago a ceasefire was announced so aid could be given to the scores of injured civilians in Gaza. The UN came in to give aid, but announced today that they would pull out workers after some were killed by Israel airstrikes and tank fire.

One member of Unrwa, the UN’s top aid agency, was killed and two were injured by Israeli tank fire. The UN says the movements of the truck had been cleared with Israeli military and authorities.

Unrwa spokesman Chris Gunness says the suspension of aid will continue until “the Israeli authorities can guarantee our safety and security.” He also said the decision to suspend aid comes with “great regret.”

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said, in response to Guiness’s words, that Israel is in high favor of the UN’s aid. Sure.

It’s pretty outrageous that they’d fire at aid workers, who were clearly distinguishable as such, with no real reason, especially after they’d cleared their movements with the military.

The UN recently called for an immediate ceasefire, a statement the U.S., France and the UK oppose.‚  The three superpowers wanted the UN to make a weaker statement, the BBC reports. Taking a real stance, especially one against Israel would be way too risky for any of the three countries.

Arab foreign ministers have said that anything less than a binding resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas would not do any good.

That’s something I’ve been stressing for a while, the UN just calling for them to stop killing Palestinians isn’t going to stop anything. Though a public call for a ceasefire is obviously necessary, we all know it won’t solve the conflict.

Nearly 800 Palestinians have died since Israel launched its offensive 13 days ago.

On a more local note, the 48 Canadians that were formerly trapped in Gaza are safe now.

Israeli troops and tanks began their descent on Gaza Saturday night, officially launching a predicted ground assault against Hamas militants, the New York Times reports.

“This will not be easy and it will not be short” said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, reinforcing what many other officials have said; preparing the public for a lengthy campaign.

Last night Gazans witnessed the calm before the storm, a halt in air assaults just before dozens were fired along the border to make a path clear of mines and bombs for incoming forces. Troops marched single file into Gaza overnight, backed by tanks and helicopters.

Israel’s military said their reason for launching the assault is “to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas.” Hamas however has vowed not to fall without a fight, they answered with several strong words of their own.

“Be prepared for a unique surprise, you will be either killed or kidnapped and will suffer mental illness from the horrors we will show you,” said a message broadcast by a Hamas official on radio frequency.

“Gaza will not be paved with flowers for you, it will be paved with fire and hell,” another Hamas official warned Israel, AP reports.

Hamas has also threatened to resume suicide attacks in Israel.

Israel has repeatedly stated their goal is not to reoccupy Gaza, only to ensure an end to Hamas airstrikes that have plagued Southern Israel for several years.

The ground assault brings risk not only to Hamas and Gazans, but Israeli forces as well. New York Times reports that Hamas has had 18 months since Israel last withdrew to smuggle in high-grade weapons to be used in combat.

The ground assault will most likely increase the number of Israeli deaths; so far four Israelis have been killed, compared to more than 460 Palestinians.

Israel has said it is committed to limiting the number of civilian deaths, however during the surge of air assaults before the ground assault was launched, a mosque was hit during evening prayer killing at least 11 and injuring more than 30.

The UN predicts nearly 25 per cent of those killed in Gaza so far were civilians.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza‚ strengthened‚ Friday after bombs killed a top Hamas commander, African Free Press reports.‚ The attacks, now entering their seventh day, have resulted in the deaths of at least 420 and more than 2000 injuries. The UN has said that nearly 25 per cent of the dead are civilians.

As tanks and troops position themselves outside Gaza, it seems a ground attack is‚ imminent. Even more‚ imminent‚ after word got out that troops were allowing‚ foreigners‚ in Gaza to leave Friday.‚ If any‚ foreigners‚ were to die as a result of the attacks, it could cause an‚ international‚ conflict.

According to CNN, soldiers are waiting for the go ahead to launch a ground assault.

President Bush recently blamed Hamas, and only Hamas, for this conflict between the two. He cited Hamas’ renewal of rocket attacks into Israel last month as the cause of the recent rift.

“In response to these attacks on their people, the leaders of Israel have‚ launched military operations on Hamas positions in Gaza,” said Bush in a radio address to air Saturday, CNN reports. “As a part of their strategy, Hamas terrorists often hide within the civilian population, which puts innocent Palestinians at risk.”

Tonight is a quieter night than the past six, CNN reports that less rockets are being fired this evening. This however, is no sign of a slowdown.‚ The number of troops positioned outside Gaza makes it very unlikely that a ground assault will not be launched at some point, if the conflict persists.

In a poll released this New Year’s Eve, of the 1,000 Americans questioned, 44 per cent said Israel was right to take military action against Palestinians, while 41 per cent said Israel should have‚ attempted‚ a peaceful diplomatic solution. Fifteen per cent were undecided.

Israel will continue to pummel Gaza with rockets after a 48-hour cease fire proposal was rejected by the security cabinet Wednesday, the New York Times reports.

“We cannot give them a respite to rearm and regroup” said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “We need a real, sustainable solution, not a Band-Aid.” Olmert said Israel would continue to fire until Hamas stopped launching rockets.

Currently, the death toll stands at about 390 Palestinians and four Israelis.

Olmert told President Bush early Wednesday that Israel would continue to look for ways to help aid wounded and threatened Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the New York Times reports. Olmert has repeatedly told media that the civilians are not the target of the attacks.

He told Bush that Hamas operatives and militants are the sole target, and it is them who are endangering the lives of Palestinian civilians.

Aides close to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak say that a ground operation may be forthcoming. Several ground troops are on pins and needles, waiting for the go ahead.

According to the UN, several thousands in Gaza have been without power since Dec. 26, after Israel cut a fuel pipeline that helped power parts of Gaza. UN humanitarian efforts are currently under way.

Governments and officials all over the world are attempting to come up with any solution that will put a halt to this conflict. The Arab League, the European Union and the United States are currently exploring several options that would see both Hamas and Israel cease firing, not temporarily, but permanently.

Israel is reportedly considering a cease fire that would see their attacks on the Gaza strip stop for 48 hours so wounded civilians desperate for humanitarian aid would be able to receive it, according to the New York Times.

The cease fire would also require Hamas to stop launching rockets into Israel. Attacks between the two have been trudging on for five days, with no real solution in sight.

The Palestinian death toll now exceeds 370.

The idea for the cease fire came from a conversation between French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Aides to Barak said that he would suggest the‚ cease fire to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the New York Times reports.

Several nations and international bodies, like the U.S., Russia, the U.N. and the European Union, have called for a permanent cease fire. ‚ We know that won’t happen any time soon, especially after Olmert said that air strikes are only the beginning of attacks on Gaza.

“We are currently at the first stage of the operation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told President Shimon Peres during a morning briefing, according to CNN.

Israeli boats have surrounded ports near Gaza and Israeli ground forces are on pins and needles waiting for the go ahead.

An Israeli ship collided with a relief boat on its way to Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea early Tuesday, in an attempt to intercept it, CNN reports. ‚ The cease fire would require ships like these to retreat, allowing medical supplies to reach injured individuals with no obstacles.

The cease fire will help some individuals for a short time, but right now, with no end in sight, short-term aid will do very little overall.

As Israeli jets hammer Hamas targets and Hamas militants launch rockets to Israel, Palestinian officials have confirmed more than 277 deaths and hundreds of injuries, CNN reports.

But now, even with all of these deaths, there is no end in sight. ‚ The U.N. has called for an end to the violence, however Hamas shows no signs of slowing down. Ditto for Israel.

Israel has deployed military personnel and tanks around Gaza, but none inside Gaza. Israel has shown no signs of planning ground operations to infiltrate Gaza, however it’s highly unlikely that they aren’t looking into it.

It’s certain that many children in Gaza City are very terrified and are most at risk. ‚ Their parents cannot provide for them and they must fend for themselves, something that is near impossible in a place that is being pounded by jets and rockets.

The U.N. is trying hard to pressure the countries to end the violence, but with the history these two countries have, it’s hard to see how any amount of pleading will convince them to put an end to the violence.

‚ The U.N. knows, like everyone else, that the conflict is much deeper here, one that they can’t solve so quickly. ‚ Demanding an end to the violence will not work.

The Red Cross and the World Food Programme are providing aid in Israel.

So far, 110 rockets have been launched by Hamas into Israel.

Even though this does not need to be said, hopefully this violence ends soon.