Review of Life Support – the silent destruction of medics in the war in Gaza | Documentary films

DGrieving children and parents are the reality of her work, says Canadian critical care physician Tanya Haj-Hassan. “But Gaza “Haj-Hassan is one of several doctors interviewed in Daniele Rugo’s documentary about their medical work in Gaza since October 2023. Doctors tend to be careful with their words and do not go too far or exaggerate. almost unbearable to watch.

Israel does not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza unless they are escorted by the military, so doctors are independent witnesses. Nick Maynard is a gastroenterologist who has been visiting since 2010. He has seen destruction in Gaza, he says, but after October 2023, it was different. On his first night, ER doctor James Smith tried to calculate the extent of the eruption; lost track after a few hundred. Reconstructive surgeon Victoria Rose arrived with 23 suitcases after calling plastic surgeons across the UK for supplies. On one trip he was allowed to cross the border with only one.

All the doctors praise the extraordinary courage of their Palestinian colleagues, who work in shifts often grieving their losses. Maynard describes a Palestinian surgeon taking time off during surgery to avoid anxiety and hunger. A Palestinian doctor brings his young children to work, thinking that, if they die, they will die together.

Israel blames Hamas using hospitals as command centers and hiding weapons -a the case is denied. Doctors here talk about the goal of medical treatment – Gaza’s only cancer clinic was destroyed; The IVF clinic is gone, with all its embryos. The film is difficult to watch but impossible to look away from.