Rabat – The Moroccan group Doctors for Palestine announced this weekend that Dr. Zainab El Mezabri, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, has entered the Gaza Strip. The group said she is the first Moroccan female doctor to reach Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s genocide on Gaza that began in October 2023.
According to the group, Dr. El Mezabri is a member of the coordination and joins a small group of Moroccan doctors who have managed to enter Gaza during Israel’s genocidal war.
Since October 2023, 13 Moroccan doctors affiliated with the group have traveled to the strip, in addition to other Moroccan doctors holding dual nationalities. Among the well-known doctors who visited Gaza are Dr. Youssef Abou Abdellah, head of pediatric surgery at Hassan II Hospital; oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Ahmed Zeroual; and Dr. Zouheir Lhanna, who has traveled to Gaza several times.
Their visits come at a time when Gaza’s health system and infrastructure has almost completely collapsed. After two years of genocide, Israeli attacks have destroyed or damaged most hospitals in the strip. Many facilities are out of service, and those that remain open operate with very limited supplies, putting the lives of thousands of patients at risk.
Doctors in Gaza have been working in extremely harsh conditions, often without electricity, clean water, anesthesia, or basic medical equipment.
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Although an official ceasefire was announced weeks ago, the situation on the ground has not improved. Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire by carrying out strikes in different parts of the strip. Since the start of the ceasefire, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in these attacks, according to Palestinian and humanitarian sources. Civilians say that the ceasefire only exists “on paper,” as drones, shelling, and gunfire continue in several areas.
Humanitarian aid entering Gaza also remains far below what was promised in the ceasefire agreement. Only a limited number of aid trucks have been allowed in, far less than what the population needs to survive.
Two years of continuous war and destruction have left Gaza’s people in desperate need of support. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, and tens of thousands more have been injured. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and more than a million people have been displaced.
In this context, the arrival of Dr. El Mezabri is an important act of solidarity. As a specialist in women’s health, she can provide care that is urgently needed, especially for pregnant women, new mothers, and those suffering from untreated medical complications.
But doctors warn that individual efforts, while valuable, are not enough. Gaza needs sustained access to aid, a fully respected ceasefire, and the rebuilding of its destroyed health system.
