A Medical Student Dedicated to Serving His Community- Abdurrahman El-Najjar

The genocide that Israel has been continuing since the date of October 7, 2023, with unprecedented dystopic images in the history of the world. Perhaps the main difference between this unexampled and unfathomable genocide from the other genocides in history is that it destroys not only the physical being of the Palestinian community but also centuries of history that the community prospered, the sociocultural roots and all marks of existence that are moral, abstract/concrete, which were embedded to the geography. In this sense, we face a planned destruction attempt of almost all of the basic institutions of collective memory and cultural transmission. All of the monumental structures, archaeological states that hold historical value, mosques, churches, educational establishments, artistic architectural works, and almost all the value that marks the existence of Muslims and Palestine in Gaza as a whole are being wiped out with planned attacks.

Besides these geographic and material assets of their existence, it is observed that all the intellectuals, and artists who are going to sustain the perpetuity of the Palestinian community in history are being targeted with planned attacks. With the commonly applied starvation and constant banishment from place to place, the Palestinian community is trying to hold on to life in the most primitive way and be dehumanized.

With all these inhumane and destructive attacks, the murdered people, whose official numbers approach 50,000 but who, according to experts, reach 200,000 including the indirect effects of the genocidal attacks and those whose bodies have yet to be reached are mentioned as mere numbers in nameless, meaningless, soulless statistical tables in published reports and news. In fact, it could be read as another demonstration of this genocide in question that these people are recorded as soulless, meaningless numbers in statistical tables. In this corner, as a small effort against this annihilation and reduction to nameless and soulless numbers, I try to record the life stories of especially the medical professors, healthcare professionals, and medical students who have been targeted in the Gaza healthcare sector.

International Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW) reports a total number of 587 healthcare workers in Gaza have been killed since October 7. According to the HWW report, it is confirmed that 1/3 of the 587 healthcare workers who have been killed in Gaza were women. The documentation of the professions of 587 healthcare workers who have been killed is shown in the graphic below. Also, it is recorded in the report that as of September 20, 2024, in Palestine, 300 healthcare workers were arrested unlawfully by the Israeli occupation forces, and their fate is unknown. These dedicated healthcare workers of Gaza are being left to be forgotten, as if they’ve never existed, most of whom are wiped out with their families, friends, records, and reports. Even if only through very limited resources, traces they may have left on social media, if there is any, and scarce information gathered from their friends and relatives we could reach, we believe the stories of these doctors must be passed onto future generations.

Numerical Graph Classified According to Branches of Health Workers Killed by Israel^[1]

In this paper, I would like to introduce you to Abdurrahman Bassam Al-Najjar. Unfortunately, obtaining significant information about the first years of his life wasn’t possible. However, Bassam who was studying in the 3^rd grade at Al-Azhar University of Gaza was a 21-year-old young adult when he was martyred.

At the start of December 2023, during a Zionist attack on the southern neighborhood of Khan Yunus including Bani Suhaila, his hometown, Abdullah was harassed by Israel, demanded to abandon his house, and then got arrested forcefully. He showed an incredible sign of courage and resistance against all the pressure. He was held captive for three days and subjected to heavy torture and interrogation. Despite this huge danger and pressure he and his family refused to abandon their house. After getting released, he was sent to Rafah which relatively lacked conflict and aggression.

He went back to serving his people right after he got out of prison. Between December 2023 and June 2024, he worked voluntarily at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the European Hospital in the Al-Fukhari neighborhood until the occupation forces evacuated the hospital by force. Despite his young age, Abdullah fit in very well in the hospital group. He was the youngest volunteer, his passion, energy, and love for hard work won him the respect of his peers. People around him repeatedly mentioned how he was mature far above his age. Abdurrahman’s compassion and devotion were seen in his relationship with his patients. Most of the patients wanted to be examined especially by him.

He pledged himself to take care of every patient he met and he did not spare his interest from anyone. He cared for nearly 30 patients a day from one to another tirelessly and helped them recover. During the time he volunteered, he provided treatment and care to nearly a thousand patients and attended more than 250 surgeries.

Abdurrahman’s strongest characteristics were his time management and working well under pressure. His colleague who he worked with during the time he volunteered said they spent countless nights and days serving patients with passion. Dangerous conditions outside of the hospital consolidated their determination to help people in need. Within all this pandemonium, his friend who saw Abdurrahman often studying, reviewing his notes or reading narrates that books were his constant friends wherever he went. Abdurrahman also memorized the whole Quran.

During his voluntary work, apart from the daily routines of the hospital, Abdurrahman was commissioned to meet the medical teams coming to the hospital. Abdurrahman who had a good command of English and an Access Certificate left a good impression on foreign committees who came to the hospital and his colleagues. His diligence, professional qualifications, and knowledge made way for him to be chosen for a medical team despite his young age. Abdurrahman wished to continue his education abroad, just like a lot of other students. He was on the verge of getting accepted to one of the universities abroad that was in the application process. However the Israeli occupation, just as always, also prevented Abdurrahman’s dreams from coming true.

With the increase in the occupation attacks, he and his family were forced to leave their home in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunus, and took refuge with a relative in Khan Yunus. On the night of December 29, after eating supper with his family and relatives, he went to his aunt’s place to sleep probably because of the crowd and lack of space. On the morning of August 30, 2024, as a result of an Israeli attack, he was killed with his two other cousins.

Prof. Dr. Orhan Alimoglu

Istanbul Medeniyet University