Israeli has blocked an American surgeon from entering Gaza to perform life-saving surgeries, even after having initially granted him clearance to go. Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon who volunteers in conflict-zone hospitals around the world, possesses specialized expertise urgently needed in Gaza, Haaretz reported on Nov. 21. Since the start of the war, he has visited the Gaza Strip twice, and on Nov. 12 he was scheduled to enter again as part of a medical delegation organized by the international NGO MedGlobal.
After receiving preliminary approval from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), he traveled from the United States to Jordan, Haaretz reported further. But at midnight—just hours before the team was to leave Amman at 5 a.m.—COGAT notified the delegation that his entry had been denied. He has been stranded in Jordan since.
