Caminar el Tiempo
Spore hosts: Witnessing a collapsing healthcare system in Gaza
A film screening and panel discussion
18. July 2024
19.00-22.00
19.00-22.00
Save the Date
for free
for adults
in German/in English
In the past 9 months, Gaza has experienced an unprecedented, targeted war against its healthcare system that must be considered an essential aspect in Israel's strategic destruction and genocide in the region. With increasing hardship and limited therapeutic capabilities, healthcare workers on the ground have been trying to maintain medical care for the acutely injured and chronically ill. Without medication, there can be no treatment; without fuel, operating theaters remain in darkness; without personnel, patients are left alone; and without hospitals, there is no space for healing.
"When it stopped being a war…" The Testimony of Ghassan Abu Sittah
Forensic Architecture, 2024
25 min, English with German subtitles
In April 2024, Forensic Architecture (FA) began working with Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, an experienced reconstructive surgeon with decades of experience of operating in Gaza, and a witness and survivor of the al-Ahli Hospital blast of 17 October 2023. Using a navigable 3D model of the hospital, FA researchers conducted a ‘situated testimony’ interview with Dr. Abu Sittah, who gave an account of his recollection of events leading up to and following the blast, with the aid of a navigable digital 3D model of the hospital complex.
Dr. Abu Sittah is uniquely positioned to speak about the injuries he saw and treated directly after the blast. His reading of the victims’ wounds offers critical insights into the type of weapon that may have been used in the attack, challenging Israeli claims about the source of the explosion.
We follow Dr. Abu Sittah's journey from al-Ahli to al-Shifa Hospital, where he participated in an unforgettable press conference surrounded by victims of the attack, marking the moment, in his words, “when it stopped being a war, and became a genocide”.
The screening is followed by a panel discussion with healthcare workers who have been practicing in Gaza at different times and at various locations throughout the strip. Together with healthcare workers in Germany, we will learn about the situation on the ground and the active roles medical workers in Germany can play in assisting the reconstruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.
This event is organized by Palästina Spricht and gesundheit4palestine, featuring a new film by Forensic Architecture.
