MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee healthcare workers gathered at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee Friday evening to express concerns about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
They said with hospitals running low on fuel and medical supplies, there is a huge healthcare emergency happening.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, more than 3,700 people have been killed and more than 13,000 have been injured in Gaza.
“These healthcare workers want to preserve life because that’s what they do. They believe everyone should be entitled to the same,” Othman Atta, the Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said.
Over 40 healthcare workers came together to deliver remarks about the need for adequate healthcare. Many held signs depicting the images coming out of Gaza.
“I cry. I cry multiple times per day. Watching a child grab onto a tree covered in soot after an explosion— it breaks my heart,” Dr. Tarek Amin, a general practitioner in Milwaukee, said. “Even outside of my clinic, seeing my child drink a glass of water and not finish it makes me say ‘Oh my gosh. I wish I could pick up that cup and fly it to Gaza.’”
Some like Amin have registered for medical mission trips to the region. They are waiting for more resources and for a safer environment before heading overseas.
“If Gaza was to open, we go where the need is. Like an emergency room, they triage where you’re needed the most,” Amin said.
The gathering comes just days after a deadly blast hit al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, killing at least 300 people.
Without electricity, skilled healthcare professionals, or even necessities like water, these Milwaukee healthcare workers said they’re worried for the civilians in Gaza who need medical assistance.
“Cut off from gas, electric, and water, hospitals can’t function. If that happens in a clinic in the U.S., it closes,” Amin explained.
The group said they want the United States to send medical supplies and personnel to Gaza to provide relief. They also asked for elected officials to call for an immediate ceasefire.
“These healthcare workers that provide services to our area, Milwaukee, they came to say they’re deeply impacted and want our government to do something about it,” Atta explained.
While they can’t go to Gaza now, they are trying to raise awareness here at home in the meantime.
“We are all connected. We’re all humanity and we have to think of that,” Inshirah Farhoud, a Milwaukee nurse practitioner, said.
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