A group of 11 U.S. medical professionals, including three doctors from North Texas, said they’re stuck in Gaza and are waiting for permission to leave. NBC 5’s Sophia Beausoleil spoke with Dr. Khawaja Nimr Ikram.
A group of 11 U.S. medical professionals, including three doctors from North Texas, said they're stuck in Gaza and are waiting for permission to leave.
Earlier this month Dr. Khawaja Nimr Ikram, an orthopedic surgeon in Plano and Mesquite, traveled to Gaza to help people injured in the war.
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WATCH HERE"I take care of a lot of broken bones, so there are a lot of people who didn't have emergency surgery, but they had broken bones that were stabilized for the time being and they’re coming back and doing internal fixations, putting in screws," said Ikram who owns North Texas Orthopedic and Spine.
The husband and father of four said he and his family had very frank conversations about his trip to Gaza to help others, given the risks. He said his family fully supports him.
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SIGN UP "I have a talent given to me by God, to aid people not only in America but all over, so for me, I’ve done multiple medical missions all over the world, it’s my second time in Gaza," said Ikram. "As a physician, I’m supposed to help lives everywhere, all lives are equal."
Ikram said he was on a trip with Rahma Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization. He's currently at a hospital in northern Gaza.
"So we had gotten approval from the Israeli government to come to Gaza," explained Ikram. "We entered January 9th and were supposed to come home January 23rd and this was all pre-planned and approved beforehand."
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He said it was on Jan. 21 that they had issues getting through checkpoints.
"The ceasefire occurred last Sunday, so we thought that we would be able to move easier but for some reason unfortunately, they’re saying we’re not able to go. So every day we’re trying to get approval. So any kind of movement has to be approved by Israel, so unfortunately up until now, which is Sunday night here, we’re not sure what's going to happen," described Ikram. "But we do Thank God that the bombings have stopped. Initially, when we came, there was bombs going off daily, there were mass casualties coming in, so after the ceasefire, that stopped. So at this moment, we are still at the hospital still taking care of patients, just waiting to find out when we’ll be able to come back to the States and take care of our patients there."
Over the weekend four women Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and taken back to Israel in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners.
In the meantime, Ikram said there's a need for more medical aid and supplies in the area.
"Thank God there’s a ceasefire here now, but unfortunately the destruction that has been that we have seen has been unbelievable. It looks like an apocalypse, buildings have just been destroyed, damaged, and flattened. So there's going to be a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done," said Ikram.
