Berlin (TIP): British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta has said that the German government has forcibly prevented him from entering the country. He was invited to address a conference in Berlin about his work in Gaza hospitals during the present conflict. However, the government forcibly prevented him from entering Germany, he said in a message posted on platform X. “Silencing a witness to genocide before the ICJ adds to Germany’s complicity in the ongoing massacre,” the surgeon said.
Abu Sitta was forced to flee Gaza in November after Israeli tank fire and lack of anesthetics at Al-Ahli Hospital made it impossible for him to work at the then last fully functioning hospital in Gaza City. Healthcare facilities in the beseiged enclave have continued to deteriorate at an alarming level since then due to Israeli bombardment.
Israel’s military assault on Gaza has sytematically targeted hospitals and healthcare infrastructure in the territory, Al Arabiya report citing agencies said. Since leaving Gaza in late November, the doctor has been raising awareness about the impact of Israel’s war, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.
According to the Middle East Eye (MEE), in the initial weeks after Israel began its assault, Abu Sittah was the unofficial English-language representative of Palestinian doctors and surgeons treating Palestinians wounded by Israeli attacks.
He accused the Israeli military of using white phosphorus, which is illegal in built-up and populated areas like Gaza, and deliberately targeting children.
In an interview with MEE after he left Gaza, Abu Sitta said medics were using household items to treat patients because of an Israeli-imposed blockade on medical equipment entering the enclave. “Eventually, everything was running out. Initially, we replaced the antiseptic solution with washing-up liquid and vinegar,” Abu Sitta said.
“Then it ended up being morphine and having to do procedures without any anaesthetic. The situation was medieval-like.” Germany is currently subject to an International Court of Justic (ICJ) case filed by Nicaragua, which accuses it of “facilitating” Israeli genocide in Gaza. (NIE)