As Gaza’s doctors struggle to save lives in a war-ravaged territory, many have tragically lost their own in relentless airstrikes. Among them was Dr. Hassan Hamdan, one of Gaza’s few trained plastic surgeons specializing in wound reconstruction. Despite having retired, the 65-year-old Hamdan returned to help as Gaza’s hospitals became overwhelmed with patients suffering from blast and shrapnel injuries. Earlier this month, he, along with his wife, children, and grandchildren, was killed in an Israeli airstrike while taking shelter in their home in what was declared a “safe zone.”
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, now in its ninth month, has devastated Gaza’s medical infrastructure. The toll on health workers has been particularly severe, with more than 500 medical personnel killed since October, according to the United Nations. Among those killed were highly skilled specialists like Hamdan, whose expertise was critically needed as Gaza’s medical system faced its greatest crisis.
One of the many tragedies was the death of Dr. Ahmed al-Maqadma, another reconstructive surgeon who trained at the U.K. Royal College. He and his mother, a general practitioner, were found shot dead outside Gaza City’s Shifa hospital after Israeli forces raided the facility in April. Similarly, prominent fertility doctor Omar Ferwana was killed with his family in October, and Gaza’s only liver transplant specialist, Hamam Alloh, died in an airstrike on his home.
In November, airstrikes on a northern Gaza hospital claimed the lives of two doctors working with Doctors Without Borders, an international charity that provides critical reconstructive and burn care in the territory. Six staff members from the organization have been killed in total since the war began.
Israeli forces have detained doctors and medical staff during the conflict, with at least two reportedly dying in custody under circumstances that remain under investigation. Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Shifa hospital, and Dr. Iyad al-Rantisi, head of a women’s hospital, both died while in detention, with their bodies yet to be returned to their families. Hundreds of other medical workers have been displaced or have fled Gaza entirely, further weakening the already fragile healthcare system.
The deaths of these key professionals have left a gaping void in Gaza’s medical community. The sheer number of wounded—over 88,000 since the Hamas attack on Israel in October, according to local health officials—has overwhelmed Gaza’s hospitals, which are operating with limited staff and resources. Malnutrition and disease have become widespread as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in makeshift tent camps.
Dr. Adam Hamawy, a former U.S. Army combat plastic surgeon who volunteered in Gaza in May, underscored the gravity of the situation following Hamdan’s death. He remarked that the loss of Hamdan would be deeply felt, as the region already had a shortage of specialists. Hamawy, who has personally witnessed the devastation in Gaza, believes Israel’s actions are deliberately undermining Gaza’s healthcare system, pointing to hospital raids, attacks on medical convoys, and strikes on ambulances. Israel, however, claims it targets Hamas, which it accuses of using hospitals as command centers, though evidence provided by the military has been limited.
Gaza’s healthcare system is collapsing under the strain. Twenty-three of the territory’s 36 hospitals are out of service, and most of the remaining ones are only partially functioning. More than 60% of Gaza’s primary health facilities have been forced to shut down, leaving medical staff overwhelmed with daily waves of injured patients.
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Dr. Hamdan’s death leaves Gaza with just one remaining reconstructive plastic surgery specialist, Dr. Ahmed al-Mokhallalati, who is now forced to shuttle between hospitals, treating hundreds of patients at a time. At one point, al-Mokhallalati oversaw treatment for 900 patients across two hospitals. He performs up to 10 surgeries a day, but the sheer scale of the demand is impossible to meet, especially as other doctors—some with no formal training—try to fill the gap.
The death of Dr. Hamdan is a significant loss, both for the medical community and for Gaza’s population, which continues to endure the horrors of war. He had founded the burns and plastic surgery department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, serving there for nearly two decades before retiring in 2019. In December, as the conflict worsened, Hamdan returned to Nasser Hospital as a volunteer, eager to assist amid the escalating need for medical care. Tragically, after multiple evacuations, he and his family were killed in a direct hit on his daughter’s apartment.
Hamdan’s son, Osama, who works as an orthopedic surgeon, was on duty in the emergency room when he learned of the attack. Among those killed were Osama’s wife and two young sons, ages 3 and 5. He described the horrific aftermath, saying he could only retrieve body parts of his children and their mother due to the force of the explosion. One of his sisters also died days later from her injuries, while another remains in critical condition.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with the ongoing conflict continuing to take a devastating toll on both civilians and those working tirelessly to save them.
