Surgeon from Sundance Doc Killed in Gaza Hospital Airstrike
Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira, featured in American Doctor, died in Wednesday's strike, while colleague Dr. Mohammed Odainy fights for his life.
By Elena Greco ·
An Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza killed Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira, a Palestinian surgeon featured in the documentary American Doctor.
The strike occurred on Wednesday. Reuters and other news services reported that the bombing targeted a facility in Khan Younis. Dr. Abu Shaaira died in the attack. Dr. Mohammed Odainy, another surgeon appearing in the film, sustained severe injuries and is currently fighting for his life.
American Doctor, directed by Poh Si Teng, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows three physicians: Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa. These doctors performed surgeries at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis during the war with Israel. The documentary focused on the practical reality of saving lives in operating rooms rather than the wider conflict.
Hamza Ali, co-founder of Watermelon Pictures, the North American distributor for the film, released a statement condemning the attack. "We are horrified and heartbroken by the killing of Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira," Ali said. He described the incident as a devastating example of violence against Gaza's medical community. Ali stated that hospitals are places of healing, not targets of war, and called for accountability to end the destruction of the healthcare system.
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California who worked alongside the deceased doctor, issued his own statement. He recalled performing a complex surgery on a man with shrapnel injuries with Dr. Abu Shaaira. Sidhwa also operated on a teenager after an American-made bomb damaged the boy's abdominal aorta, a procedure Dr. Odainy assisted with. The teenager survived. Sidhwa called the two men friends and colleagues. He described the killing as an unforgivable crime.
Jordan Mintzer, a film critic for The Hollywood Reporter, reviewed the documentary at Sundance. Mintzer noted that the film eschews the bigger picture to focus on the hard-to-watch reality of surgeons. He observed that the suffering of children brought into the emergency room after surviving bombings is unbearable to witness regardless of one's position in the conflict.
Watermelon Pictures continues to distribute American Doctor in North America. The distributor maintains its call for an end to the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system following the death of Dr. Abu Shaaira and the critical condition of Dr. Odainy.
