A London doctor who travelled to Gaza to operate on Palestinians injured by Israeli airstrikes has accused the Met Police of ‘harassing’ his family.
Prof Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a top British-Palestinian plastic surgeon, has regularly spoken to the media to describe the horrific scenes he has witnessed while working in a crowded hospital in the besieged territory.
His tweet
He tweeted Tuesday: ‘British counter terrorism police has showed up at my house in the UK and harassed my family.’
The Met said it had gone to the surgeon’s home after receiving a report ‘a man was planning to travel to a war zone’ and after being told by his wife he was there for humanitarian purposes ‘signposted the occupant to current FCDO advice’.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office continues to advise against all travel to Israel and Gaza due to the ongoing conflict.
Questions counter terror police asked his wife
Speaking later on Newsnight, Prof Abu-Sittah said officers had asked his wife about why her husband had gone to Gaza, who paid for his ticket and what charity he was helping.
‘I think it’s a brutal attempt at harassment and silencing us,’ he said.
Parents and grandchildren are all killed
‘I remain committed to speaking out on behalf of my patients and on behalf of the wounded here, on behalf of these families that are being destroyed.
‘There are 50 families that are wiped out of the civil register, that means the grandparents, the parents and the grandchildren are all killed.
The surgeon said he would continue to ‘bear witness’ to the ‘carnage’ being caused by Israeli airstrikes – which follow terrorist attacks on Israel two weekends ago.
He continued: ‘These police tactics, as if my wife didn’t have enough to worry about that she had to endure this today. It’s now been taken up by [my] lawyers.
‘I need to find out why someone thought it would be a good idea for them to show up at my house and ask my wife which part of the hospital I’m in, and why did I go, and who paid for my ticket and which charity do I work for.
‘At these times, these difficult times, my family is seeing this bombing unfold knowing I’m in the midst of it to have them harassed in this way has been just bizarre.’
Prof Abu-Sittah, who shares three sons with his wife, has previously said he felt a ‘moral duty’ to go to Gaza to treat the injured.
He’s previously worked in war zones including Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.
He has a practice near Harley Street in London that specialises in plastic and reconstructive surgery, including trauma injuries and facial deformities.
