American Doctor

I watched the documentary American Doctor as part of my double feature at the Broadway last night and, even though it is extremely difficult to watch, I think it is very important that everyone does.  It follows Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, three American doctors with diverse backgrounds, who travel to Gaza before and after the 2025 ceasefire to provide medical aid to the casualties of the genocide.  It features compelling footage of them treating patients, mostly children, in challenging conditions and with very few resources at the Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis only to have the hospital targeted by an Israeli strike (the images of the strike as it happens are absolutely devastating).  The most poignant moment comes when a child they just fought hard to save is killed by the bombing.  We also see their interactions with the media upon their return to the United States, in which the veracity of their accounts is challenged by the pro-Israeli news outlets, and their advocacy in favor of ending military aid to Israel (at one point Sidhwa calls their efforts futile after visiting with a number of senators).  There were several moments that particularly caught my attention.  The first is when the director Poh Si Teng tells Perlmutter that she will probably pixelate some of the more disturbing images and he vehemently opposes this because he feels that people need to see what is happening in order to believe it.  Another is when Perlmutter, who is Jewish, says that you can love Israel without agreeing with the current regime and you can be Jewish without being a Zionist.  The next is when Sidhwa wonders aloud if he paid for the mortar round that injured his patient with his tax dollars (this was especially upsetting to me).  The last is when the epilogue states that over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed during the conflict simply for trying to render aid.  This is an incredibly powerful reminder of what is still going on in the region and I think everyone should see it.