In a wide-ranging and timely interview, the head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Ghassan S. Abu Sitta, discusses his most recent trip to Gaza to help treat wounded protesters in what has become a war-like zone. Abu Sitta addresses the current state of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure, the types of injuries that he operated on, and the implications of the Great March of Return for Palestine's political future. When Abu Sitta arrived on 11 May 2018, he quickly began preparation for what he expected (and what indeed turned out) to be the bloodiest week of the Great March. He speaks candidly about traumatizing scenes, with doctors and surgeons desperately attempting to save as many lives as possible without the benefit of proper medical equipment; and he explains how the injuries he saw are part of the Israeli army's deliberate effort to maim and incapacitate as many Palestinians as possible.
University of California Press