Palestinian Surgeon Featured in Documentary Killed in Gaza Strike
Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira, a Palestinian surgeon who appears in the documentary American Doctor, was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to Deadline.
Another Palestinian surgeon featured in the film, Dr. Mohammed Odainy, was critically injured in the same attack and is fighting for his life. Both men worked at the Nasser Medical Complex, where they provided lifesaving care.
The film follows three American physicians, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who travelled to Gaza to treat patients. It is directed by Poh Si Teng. Watermelon Pictures handles its North American distribution, and the company said on Thursday that it was "appalled and devastated" by news of Dr. Abu Shaaira's death, as reported by Reuters and other outlets.
Watermelon Pictures co-founder Hamza Ali condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms. He called for accountability and an end to the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system.
For the people who made the film, the story now has a different weight. A documentary about doctors who travel to a war zone to save lives has, in the space of days, become a record of two of the men it followed. Distributors and filmmakers usually think about a film's future in terms of festivals, release dates and audiences. In this case, the people on screen are the ones whose lives have changed.
