The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) and the European Centre for Palestine Studies (ECPS) is excited to announce this upcoming event on 25/03/24, 'Talk with Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah & Dr Nadia Naser Najjab - The Health Sector in Gaza: from COVID to War'.

Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a multi-award-winning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, with a reputation as one of the world's leading specialists in craniofacial surgey, facial aesthetics, cleft lip and palate surgery, and trauma related injuries.

During the first 43 days of the conflict in Gaza after 7th October 2023, Dr Abu-Sittah worked under the strenuous condictions at the Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli hospitals in Gaza, operating on victim's of Israel's intensive shelling and ground operations. In this talk, Dr Abu-Sittah will recount his experiences in Gaza during this time, discussing the state of the healthcare system in Gaza, as well as the conditions faced by medical staff.

Dr Nadia Naser-Najjab is a senior lecturer in Palestine Studies at the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies in the University of Exeter. Prior to this, she was an Assistant Professor at Birzeit University. Her research is largely based on first-hand experience and original data collection and focuses on Palestine-Israel peace processes, Palestinian education and Palestinian resistance. During this talk, Dr Naser-Najjab will be discussing her latest book (link in bio), 'COVID-19 in Palestine: The Settler Colonial Context', which demonstrates how 'Israel utilized the pandemic to tighten surveillance & control over Palestine and the Palestinians'.