The story of Doctor Basil Mahdi, who was my senior at al-Shifa hospital, is tragic and compelling.
He was always passionate about his work. He was the beloved and sociable doctor who helped everyone. He performed numerous childbirth procedures for free and generously supported humanitarian causes.
After the Israeli attacks began on 7 October, the al-Shifa hospital staff lost contact with many medical personnel. A good number of doctors evacuated from northern Gaza to the south, leaving a small staff behind.
Dr. Mahdi stayed until the last possible moment. Even after his family evacuated to the south, he continued his work and did not want to abandon his job or leave his patients behind.
It was a November morning when I heard the news of his martyrdom. He was killed along with his doctor brothers at their private Mahdi Medical Hospital, which had been filled with patients and displaced people, in the middle of the Gaza Strip. ….more
