Irving man among medical workers stranded in Gaza after Rafah border closure escapes

Samaiya Mushtaq on May 10 was just texting her husband, Dr. Mahmoud Sabha, 39, about how she looked forward to being in their Irving home.

They messaged about being with their two young children, eating waffles and drinking lattes while chatting the night away.

“And then I found out like an hour later that he wasn’t coming home,” Mushtaq said Wednesday in a phone conversation with The Dallas Morning News.

Sabha, a medical doctor, went to Gaza in early May for his second humanitarian mission through the World Health Organization to be a wound care physician. His first trip to the war-stricken region was in late-March through mid-April. His second trip, during which he worked from the European Hospital near Khan Younis, was scheduled to end Monday, Mushtaq said.

Sabha is among a group of medical workers put together by the Palestinian American Medical Association. Nineteen health care professionals — including 10 U.S. citizens — went to Gaza to provide aid, according to a Monday news release from the association. The team also includes people from Jordan, Egypt and Australia.

They were denied exit from Gaza following the Rafah border closure, the release stated.

“We at PAMA urge the U.S. government, President [Joe] Biden, the U.S. State Department and all official bodies to bring our American doctors and nurses back to their families,” the release said. “We also would seek your assistance to send much needed medical mission teams safely into Gaza.”

Even as Israel Defense Forces took the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing May 7, Sabha said he and others on the medical team were doubtful that they would be stranded.

“We heard news, like, maybe we may not be able to leave. A few days before, we were like, ‘OK, this is just rumors, we’re not technically stuck here,’” he said. “But then, you know, it turned out to be true.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Sabha said there had been no update on when or how they will return home. He said he has missed his wife and children; not knowing when his daughter will be able to see her “Baba” is taking a toll on his mental health.

“I guess the uncertainty of this, too, is what’s difficult,” he said, as the call briefly cut in-and-out. “I don’t know if you can hear the bombs going off.”

Sabha said he and the other medical volunteers have become accustomed to the roar of explosions, but the sound of gunfire close by is unnerving.

The hospital compound members of the medical team are at have food and water, but they are rationing much of the supplies, Sabha said.

Sabha said he and the medical volunteers are eager to leave, but also are deeply concerned about the ability for medical aid to flow into Gaza, given the closure of the Rafah border crossing. They’ve also heard from Palestinians who are scared of what might happen to the hospital compound if or when the humanitarian workers leave the area.

“They’ve heard that some of the[non-government organizations] were evacuated and then after that, that’s when the raids came to inside the hospital,” Sabha said.

Sabha and others have made friendships with their patients, many of whom are children. Some of the kids, as well as the people who care for them, have lost multiple limbs, Sabha said.

“You can see the look on their faces, and it’s what’s really sad,” Sabha said. “They’re just about to hit puberty, they’re about to hit that age when they start growing so much.”

Still, hearing Palestinians wanting to rebuild their lives has been a source of hope for Sabha. It’s also helps him get through the days he’s without his family.

Sabha said seeing the resilience in Palestinian children keeps his spirits up. He jested that he thinks his wife misses the way he prepares tea.

“She taught me how to make it and now I make it better than her,” he said. “I experimented with it for like over a year, like almost daily with different types and how much spices I used. So, I perfected it.”

The couple married in November 2019. Mushtaq, 33, is a psychiatrist who practices in North Texas.

Mushtaq said her neighbors and friends have visited in the past week — she thinks the visits help her daughter keep her mind off her father’s absence.

Mushtaq said she’s trying to stay strong for her husband. She said her heart is also with the Palestinian civilians who will continue needing humanitarian aid.

“I have to remain hopeful so that I can support Mahmoud from here,” she said. “We have to continue to support each other despite the distance and give each other hope when the other is feeling worried.”