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Ghassan Abu-Sittah

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Ghassan Abu-Sittah
غسان أبو ستة
Born
Ghassan Salman Abu-Sittah

1969 (age 54–55)
Kuwait
Other namesGhassan Abu Sitta
Alma mater
Children3
Websitedrghassanabusittah.com

Ghassan Soleiman Abu-Sittah (Arabic: غسان أبو ستة; born 1968/1969)[1] is a British-Palestinian plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He is known for his work in conflict zones, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and specialises in craniofacial surgery, aesthetic surgery, cleft lip and palate surgery, and trauma-related injuries.[2]

Ghassan was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian family who fled or were expelled from their home during 1948 Arab–Israeli War, becoming refugees in the Gaza Strip, who later moved to Egypt and the UK in the late 1980s.[3] Abu-Sittah studied at the University of Glasgow[4] and completed a postgraduate residency in London. He underwent three fellowships.[5] After graduating from university, Abu-Sittah began working for the National Health Service.[6] In July 2005, Abu-Sittah helped treat victims of the London bombings.[6] As of 2023, Abu-Sittah lives in East London with his wife and three sons.[4]

Abu-Sittah first visited the Gaza Strip as a medical student during the First Intifada in 1989, and was a member of Medical Aid for Palestinians during the Second Intifada starting 2000. He also travelled to the strip during the 2008-2009 war, the 2012 operation, the 2014 war, and the 2018 Great March of Return.[7] Abu-Sittah has also worked in war zones in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.[4][6]

Abu-Sittah returned to the Gaza Strip after the start of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war,[8] where he worked with Doctors Without Borders out of the Al-Shifa Hospital.[4] He has spoken to news outlets participated in press conferences discussing his experiences.[8] In January 2024, he travelled to the Hague to meet with International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators. Abu-Sittah was elected Rector of his alma mater, the University of Glasgow, on 26 March 2024, winning 80% of the vote.

Biography

Early life

Ghassan was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian family who fled or were expelled from their home during 1948 Arab–Israeli War and became refugees in the Gaza Strip. They later moved to Egypt and the UK in the late 1980s.[3] Abu-Sittah studied at the University of Glasgow[4] and completed a postgraduate residency in London. He underwent three fellowships: Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery and Cleft Surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Kids (GOS), and Trauma Reconstruction at the Royal London Hospital.[5]

Career

After graduating from university, Abu-Sittah began working for the National Health Service.[6] In July 2005, Abu-Sittah helped treat victims of the London bombings.[6] Ghassan moved to Beirut in 2011.[6] As of 2023, Abu-Sittah lives in East London with his wife Deema[9] and three sons.[4]

He worked as the director of the hospital's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department from 2012 until September 2020.[4][10][7] In 2015, he also co-founded and co-directed the Conflict Medicine Program at the AUB's Global Health Institute.[10][6] In 2021, Abu-Sittah worked as a lecturer at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London.[10] In January 2011, Abu-Sittah joined the faculty of the American University of Beirut Hospital.[6] Abu-Sittah also provided remote assistance for surgeons working in the Gaza Strip.[11] While in Lebanon, Abu Sitah's demonstrated his interest in Palestinian politics by writing Opinions for local papers.[12]

Abu-Sittah first visited the Gaza Strip as a medical student during the First Intifada in 1989.[4][10] He was inspired to focus on conflict medicine by Ang Swee Chai.[10] Abu-Sittah traveled to Gaza as a member of Medical Aid for Palestinians to provide medical assistance during the Second Intifada, the 2008-2009 Gaza War, the 2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, the 2014 Gaza War, and the 2018 Great March.[7][13] Abu-Sittah has also worked in war zones in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.[4][6]

Abu-Sittah returned to Gaza on October 9, 2023, at the onset of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[8] During the war, Abu-Sittah worked with Doctors Without Borders out of the Al-Shifa Hospital.[4][14][15] He has spoken to news outlets and posted updates on Twitter about the hospital and some of the patients.[15][16][17] On November 18, after 43 days, Abu-Sittah returned to London, where he gave a press conference discussing his experiences.[8][18] During the press conference, he said he treated patients suffering from white phosphorus burns, which the IDF has denied using.[18][19] Abu-Sittah plans to work with Scotland Yard to share his testimony of the situation in Gaza.[8] In January 2024, he travelled to the Hague to meet with International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators.[20] On 16 October 2023, Abu-Sittah's family in London was questioned by Met Police about Abu-Sittah's work in Gaza.[4][21][3]

Abu-Sittah was an editor and co-author of the book Reconstructing the War Injured Patient.[10] He is a trustee of the Institute for Palestine Studies.[5] Abu-Sittah was elected Rector of his alma mater, the University of Glasgow, on 26 March 2024, winning 80% of the vote.[22][23]

Abu-Sittah spoke at a ceremony for the one-year anniversary of the death of Maher Al-Yamani, the co-founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 2020.[24][25] A video showing Abu-Sittah appear to cry while delivering a eulogy at the event that includes the language "This is our only comfort: that even when Maher leaves, the Israelis will be afraid of Maher."[19]

In March 2024, the British NGO, UK Lawyers for Israel (A UK-based, pro-Israel legal lobbying group) sent an open letter to Glasgow University which included a review of Abu-Sittah's public social media comments. The letter accused Abu-Sittah of reposting "an image commemorating a leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Nasser Abu Hamid, the day after he died, holding a machine gun, dripping with blood."[26] He also wrote an article grieving for Abu Hamid, who had been convicted of multiple murders.[24] The Times reported that Abu Sittah had compared Israeli leadership to “the psychosis of the Germans in the 30s and the 40s." The UK Lawyers for Israel letter also accused Abu-Sittah of re-posting an image comparing Israel to Nazis. Since receiving UK Lawyers for Israel's letter, Glasgow University has launched an investigation into Abu-Sittah.[27]

In April 2024, Abu Sittah was slated to speak at a Palestinian solidarity conference in Berlin. He was questioned upon arrival on the country and eventually not allowed to enter. Shortly thereafter, the conference was shut down by Berlin police, who said it broke up the event because Abu Sitta was "forbidden from being politically active in Germany." Organizers of the event had not been informed of this ban.[28]

References

  1. ^ Howeidy, Amira (October 24, 2023). "'Gaza war does not compare to Syria or Yemen'". Ahram Online. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "About: Advisors". United Palestinian Appeal. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Lampert, Nicole (2023-12-02). "Can the media trust this doctor in Gaza?". UnHerd. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Grierson, Jamie; Sherwood, Harriet (2023-10-17). "Surgeon treating patients in Gaza says police in London 'harassed' his family". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. ^ a b c "Trustee, Senior Fellow: Ghassan Abu-Sittah". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Woodward, Michelle (2020-12-15). "The Evolution of Conflict Medicine in the Middle East - An Interview with Ghassan Abu Sittah". MERIP. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ^ a b c Wedeman, Ben (2018-05-18). "He's treated thousands. The surgeon who keeps returning to Gaza". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  8. ^ a b c d e Sebouai, Lilia (2023-11-27). "'I performed six amputations in one night': London doctor recalls war horrors after 43 days in Gaza". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  9. ^ Dadouch, Sarah (15 December 2023). "A doctor went to Gaza to help. What he saw there still haunts him". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Halawa, Ahmed (2021-07-26). "Ghassan Abu-Sittah: A War-Zone Surgeon Sets Up a Curriculum for Conflict Medicine". Al-Fanar Media. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. ^ "In Gaza, hand surgery gets remote assistance from Beirut". Reuters. 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  12. ^ Abu-Sittah, Ghassan (2018-03-08). "The Palestinian people, the Authority, and the moment of truth". Al Akbar (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  13. ^ Issa, Perla (2018-08-01). "INTERVIEW WITH DR. GHASSAN ABU SITTA"There Is No International Community"". Journal of Palestine Studies. 47 (4): 46–56. doi:10.1525/jps.2018.47.4.46. ISSN 0377-919X. S2CID 158850801.
  14. ^ Ashraf, Benjamin (2023-10-25). "Until the final breath: Ghassan Abu-Sittah's oath to Gaza". The New Arab. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. ^ a b "5 Doctors and Journalists Playing Vital Roles in Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis". Vogue Arabia. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. ^ Dagres, Holly (2023-10-12). "Gaza under siege: A doctor recounts the humanitarian cost of war". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  17. ^ "Gaza hospitals running out of supplies for wounded as Israel's bombardment goes on". The Independent. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  18. ^ a b Abdul, Geneva (2023-11-27). "London surgeon says he saw 'massacre unfold' while working in Gaza hospitals". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  19. ^ a b Pope, Felix. "Gaza surgeon used as pundit by BBC, Sky and CNN wept as he praised terror leader". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  20. ^ AFP (8 January 2024). "UK-Palestinian surgeon fights for 'justice' after Gaza return". France24. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Met Police question London family of doctor in Gaza". BBC News. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  22. ^ McKay, Gabriel (26 March 2024). "Gaza war surgeon elected rector of University of Glasgow". The Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  23. ^ "University of Glasgow - MyGlasgow - MyGlasgow Students - University of Glasgow Rector".
  24. ^ a b Bradley, Sian (30 March 2024). "Glasgow University rector's victory 'could make Jewish students feel less safe'". The Times. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  25. ^ Press, The Associated (4 January 2011). "Radical Palestinian official dies in Lebanon". Gulf News. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Glasgow University investigating Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta, candidate for election as Rector". UK Lawyers for Israel. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  27. ^ Pope, Felix (20 March 2024). "Glasgow University investigating doctor who praised terrorist". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  28. ^ Morris, Loveday (April 12, 2024). "Germany bars doctor who worked in Gaza, shuts down Palestinian conference". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
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