Humanitarian Aid for Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

A pediatrician and member of the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam village, Dr. Raid Haj Yehia has dedicated his life to helping others. Through his work with the Physicians for Human Rights organization and his commitment to the Humanitarian Aid Program (HAP) at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Dr. Yehia has helped hundreds of children in Gaza receive critical medical treatment. Up to four times a year he goes through the difficult process of obtaining the necessary permits to travel to Gaza to provide medical care at Al-Shifa hospital.

In his own words, Dr. Yehia describes the conditions at Al-Shifa Hospital,

“There is no correlation between what we see on TV-even foreign channels-and what you experience going there…Conditions there are chaotic…The hospitals rely on generators because electricity is so sporadic. Normally the hospitals can rely on about 6 hours of electricity a day…The equipment they use is damaged and old. Even tools for performing surgery are rusty. Part of the problem is the salty water they use for cleaning. The hospitals receive many donations of equipment, but then have no means to fix the equipment, so it becomes unusable…I saw one family where almost everyone was injured, including a 102- year-old woman.  I felt very sad to see this.”

Thanks to donations through GlobalGiving and other organizations, Dr. Yehia can deliver life-saving medicine and equipment to Al-Shifa Hospital when he visits Gaza. Helping more children recover from injuries and life-threatening illnesses gives them and their families hope for their children’s future.

Dr. Yehia’s motivation to volunteer his time and talents is simply to help. “There is always hope. The spirit of humanity will come through. The good, human side will win.” In his tireless efforts to help children with limited access to medical care, he embodies the spirit of activism upon which Neve Shalom/What al-Salam was founded.