It’s 1 am in central Gaza, and emergency physician Salman Khalid is jolted awake by a text message that simply says, 'mass casualty.' As part of a three-member team providing care at al-Aqsa Hospital, he rushes to the scene, where he is greeted by a heartbreaking sight—a family of five siblings, all under 18, suffering from horrific injuries after their tent in a designated humanitarian zone was bombed while they slept. This despairing reality is a daily occurrence in Gaza, where innocent civilians suffer under the violence of settler colonialism. In Gaza: A Doctor’s Diary, Salman Khalid offers a poignant and deeply personal journal of his month-long volunteer mission in Gaza.
Over the course of September 2024, he captures the stark realities of life in a war zone, revealing the harrowing conditions faced by patients and medical professionals alike. With unflinching honesty, he reflects on the trauma, tragedy, resilience, and humanity that persist amid destruction and violence. This firsthand account of the brutality of the genocide in Gaza invites readers to witness the power of compassion in the face of unimaginable horror.
All profits from the book will be donated to Humanity Auxilium, an American and Canadian NGO that is one of 25 organisations worldwide that have paired with the WHO to get people and supplies into Gaza.
