168 Doctors Graduate Amid Ruins of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital in Act of Defiance
In a powerful act of resilience, 168 Palestinian doctors received their specialist certifications in a ceremony held amid the rubble of Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, a symbol of the territory's shattered healthcare system after two years of war.
A hospital in ruins, a healthcare system decimated. Yet, in front of what was once Gaza's largest hospital, 168 new doctors just received their advanced medical certifications. The graduation ceremony took place on Thursday at the destroyed facade of the al-Shifa Medical Complex, a symbolic act of resilience after two years of war with Israel.
The doctors, who call themselves the “Humanity Cohort,” completed their Palestinian Board certifications under extraordinary circumstances. They studied and sat for exams while working nonstop inside Gaza’s hospitals through starvation and displacement, with some being injured, arrested, or losing family members.
A Ceremony from the 'Womb of Suffering'
Youssef Abu al-Reish, an official from the Gaza Health Ministry, described the event as a graduation from “the womb of suffering, under bombardment, among rubble and rivers of blood.” Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, al-Shifa’s medical director, said Israel sought to destroy Palestine’s human capital but “failed in that.” The ceremony included empty chairs displaying photographs of healthcare workers killed during the war.
Al-Shifa: Symbol of a Decimated Health System
The al-Shifa Medical Complex has been repeatedly targeted since the war began in October 2023. It was invaded twice—in November 2023 and again in March 2024—suffering catastrophic destruction. A World Health Organization (WHO) assessment in early April 2024 found the hospital had been reduced to “an empty shell with human graves.” Although partially renovated, it still largely lies in ruins.
The destruction of al-Shifa exemplifies a broader campaign against Gaza’s healthcare system. The WHO Health Cluster has documented 825 attacks on healthcare facilities since October 2023, which have killed 985 people and injured approximately 2,000. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 1,722 healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past two years.
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