Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption
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Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
British orthopedic surgeon Dr. Graeme Groom has spent the past three weeks in Gaza working long days at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a city in the southern part of the strip. There, Groom treated civilians with blast injuries, amputations — and increasingly, gunshot wounds.
On Tuesday, Israeli troops fired gunshots at Palestinian crowds near a food distribution center in central Gaza, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and local health officials, killing or wounding dozens of Palestinians.
“The current campaign is directed almost exclusively at the blameless and the defenseless,” Groom told NPR’s Morning Edition just moments after returning home from Gaza. “The killing must stop.”
His claims come as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S. and Israeli-backed aid initiative, temporarily halted distribution efforts after a string of deadly incidents near aid sites. The Israeli government has disputed claims of civilians being shot. Caroline Glick, an American Israeli advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the events unfolded as the Red Cross claimed in a Wednesday interview with Morning Edition.
Interview highlights
Claims of war crimes in Gaza are ‘ridiculous,’ says adviser to Israeli government
NPR’s Leila Fadel spoke to Groom about what he saw.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity and contains graphic descriptions of injuries.
Interview highlights
On how his day began — and the shift from bomb wounds to gunshot wounds
“We will work through the day with, I can only really describe it as mangled bodies and broken bones, mutilated flesh.The recent events have included mainly gunshot wounds and that’s been quite unusual in the last 3 weeks.”
On civilians being shot while approaching food aid
“I think that what we saw and heard was that those in need of food aid were told where it would be and when, were told how to get there and were encouraged to travel early and along the way they were attacked. There have been other justifications for these killings, but none of them stack up as far as our perspective is concerned from receiving the wounded.”
“Well, I think if we start with what we heard about and what we know, when Palestinians gather in groups for food and for water. They are absolutely distinctive, they are of all ages, but many are young. They are extremely thin and they are very poorly dressed in one might say rags, and they are quite unmistakable for some military force. They’re palpably unarmed, but this congregation appears to be met with rifle fire and particularly with fire from the concocted drones that carry a gun that fires bullets.”
On the cases that stay with him
“None of them were injured alone. Particularly the ones who were injured in bomb blasts — and it seems there’s been a pattern of individual families being attacked. There was a young man aged 11, who was one of the ones who was wheeled into the operating theater on a blood-soaked trolley at the end of our ordinary list. He was one of a family of two adults and ten children. He was the only surviving child. So that is the context of each of the people on whom we operate.”
“There was another wee boy who particularly sticks in my memory. His name was Jacob. He was 7. The blast had broken both legs above and below both knees and had flayed the skin and flesh from his legs. Now, we were able to care for his legs while I was writing the operation note and he was in recovery. It was heartbreaking to hear this poor little seven-year-old boy, this little scrap of humanity, calling for his mother — who was dead. Those stories are not in isolation.”
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On what he wants the world to understand
“My top line is that the current campaign is directed almost exclusively at the blameless and the defenseless, and the killing must stop.There is no justification for it, in my view, no purpose in it. It will only generate further conflict. My message to anyone who has the power to influence events in Gaza is that the killing must stop.”
The Israeli military told NPR that its forces fired warning shots to disperse a group approaching along a route not designated for aid access. The military says it is investigating and is aware of reports of civilian casualties.
This digital article was edited by Obed Manuel. The radio version of this interview was produced by Mansee Khurana.
