A US neurosurgeon's anguish: His family trapped in Gaza is 'barely staying alive'

Yamaan Saadeh just wants to know his family is safe. Seems simple. It's anything but.

His 70-year-old father, stepmother and three sisters are all trapped in southern Gaza, where the situation is deteriorating as civilians are caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas.

"It's like having two hearts," he said.

More than 20,000 Palestinians have died since the outbreak of the war, which began Oct. 7 when Hamas surprise attacks on Israeli border communities killed 1,139 Israelis. Another 240 people were taken hostage. Israel launched an invasion of Gaza a few weeks later.

A weeklong truce in November allowed for the release of some hostages − and for some humanitarian aid to enter the territory. But the bombing has continued nearly nonstop since then. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, meanwhile, is dire.

Saadeh, a neurosurgeon with the University of Michigan, talks with his family whenever they're able, even if it's just for a few precious moments via WhatsApp to make sure they're still alive.

They describe a situation that Saadeh called "quite horrible."

Forced to flee their home in Northern Gaza, the family, like most others in the territory, quickly realized that no place is safe. They have found shelter in a house they are sharing with 50 other people − a house that Saadeh said has one bathroom.

"They're all sick and hungry and cold," he said. His family, like thousands of other Gazans, left home quickly with whatever they could carry.

When they have managed to get any food, even after hours of waiting in line, it's usually bread, which fills a stomach but doesn't provide much nourishment. Meat, fruits and vegetables and dairy products are impossible to find.

"They're barely staying alive," Saadeh said. "My dad has lost some hearing because of the bombing. His health is OK, but there's also the frailty that comes with age, and this situation."

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A family of 'very remarkable people' in Gaza

Saadeh was born in Michigan, where his father, a retired professor, earned a PhD. After his parents divorced, Saadeh's father returned to Gaza, remarried and had three daughters. "It was much better then" in the 1980s, Saadeh said.

All three of Saadeh's sisters were valedictorians of their respective classes and all three have gone on to study medicine in Gaza. However, since the war broke out, they have had to put their studies on hold and are just trying, along with their parents, to survive.

Saadeh's hasn't been able to see his family in Gaza much, limited by the Israeli occupation over the last 16 years and the travel restrictions it's imposed. His last visit was in 2018, a mission trip to help children with complex neurological conditions.

Still, his affection for his father and especially his sisters is no less sincere.

His father grew up impoverished, the son of an illiterate West Bank farmer who wanted his children to be educated and not to have to work as hard as he did.

"They are just very remarkable people," he said. "Especially the circumstances (his sisters) grew up in. They've survived wars, they've lost a lot of friends. But they still have good hearts and souls. They're still hard-working young women who have high hopes for their lives. It's a testament to their character."

Growing frustration amid inaction

As days turn into weeks and the conflict drags on with no end in sight, Palestinian-Americans like Saadeh are increasingly anguished.

On Wednesday, a group of Palestinian-Americans in the New York-New Jersey area held a news conference to bring attention to the almost incomprehensible loss of civilian lives in Gaza. The 10 people said they've lost a combined 1,000 family members since war broke out, and urged President Joe Biden and other leaders to call for a cease-fire.

“Please save what’s left of my family and other Palestinian families who have been asking for one thing for 75 years − freedom and equality,” Duaa Abdalla said at the Council on American Islamic Relations office in Newark, N.J.

The families told those gathered at CAIR NJ about losing entire households as relatives slept or tried to go about their daily lives. They shared their heartbreak for other loved ones missing under the rubble of bombed-out buildings and their fears for family members who require medical care because of normally manageable conditions such as diabetes.

Saadeh, who is married and has a 1-year-old, is acutely aware of how bad it is in Gaza. He knows the medical infrastructure is decimated and can imagine all too well how doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are struggling to save lives under impossible conditions.

"It's worse than a doctor's worst nightmare," he said. "You go into this to help people, and to be unable to help the people you love the most..."

His voice trailed. "It's devastating. I hate not being able to help a patient, and now I can't even help my family."

It hasn't been for lack of trying on his part. He's reached out to the State Department, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, to get his family visas to get out of Gaza. They have family in the West Bank, where they will be safer, and Saadeh would also welcome them if they could get to the U.S.

He has gotten little feedback, he said.

Dingell's press secretary, Michaela Johnson, emailed USA TODAY in response to its inquiry about Saadeh's family that they have been "in constant communication with Dr. Saadeh, and has advocated for his family’s safety with USCIS, State Department, and all relevant agencies.

"Congresswoman Dingell will continue to do everything in her power to help those with family members trying to leave Gaza,” Johnson said.

Peters' office did not respond to an emailed inquiry.

Saadeh pointed to overwhelming support for a cease-fire among people worldwide, including in the U.S. and Israel. He noted the speed with which soldiers are mobilized, arms are delivered and bombs are deployed and wonders why desperately needed humanitarian aid isn't given the same priority.

"It's just not translating into action by governments," he said.

His friends and colleagues have been very supportive, Saadeh said. He knows "people are trying." But he added: "Their efforts are heartening, but the results are discouraging."

Contributing: Hanan Adely, NorthJersey.com

Contact Phaedra Trethan by email at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @wordsbyphaedra.