Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza, nearly all hospitals in the region have been destroyed or rendered nonoperational by Israeli forces. The European Hospital near Khan Younis is among the last remaining facilities still functioning.

A group of American volunteer doctors entered Gaza in late April, steeled for the grim realities of Israel’s relentless bombing campaign. However, they were unprepared for the staggering civilian suffering and the acute shortage of some of the most basic medical supplies. Their challenges worsened when the Israeli military began its Rafah offensive and sealed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in early May, trapping them inside Gaza.

Dr Adam Hamawy, a plastic surgeon from New Jersey, was among the volunteers stationed at the European Hospital near Khan Younis. After nearly three weeks, Hamawy managed to leave the besieged strip. Back in the United States, as Israel’s assault continues and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, Hamawy is unflinching in recounting what he witnessed. In an interview with Hanno Hauenstein for Jacobin, he detailed the harrowing conditions on the ground, compared them to other conflict and war zones where he has volunteered, and called for international action against Israel’s ongoing violations of international law.