I'm a US Army Doctor Who Volunteered in Gaza. American Actions There Betray the Values I Fought For | Opinion

As a former U.S. Army combat trauma surgeon who has twice volunteered in Gaza over the past year, I could not be more alarmed by the role that our government has played in the indiscriminate killing and destruction there, and in the suffering of Gaza's people.

I looked on with shame and anger as President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated social media video touting his plan to "take over Gaza," force its people to relocate elsewhere, and redevelop the territory as profitable luxury real estate.

I served my country in a time of war. I fought for what I believed to be American values—commitment to democracy, concern for the oppressed, a basic sense of honor, and the courage to do what is right. Today, it is crystal clear to me that with our actions in Gaza, the United States is not honoring these values.

Trump's push for a shameless landgrab in Gaza underscores the basic moral integrity that our country has lost. The entirety of our Gaza policy since the start of the current war—from the Biden administration into the Trump administration—has failed to live up to the values I was taught to uphold.

Last month, I returned from my second medical mission to Gaza over the past year. During my first mission, in May 2024, I traveled to Gaza with a multinational team of medical volunteers. I could not sit still while I saw so many people suffering—and knew that I had the skills and experience to potentially help them.

I have never witnessed suffering like I saw during those three weeks in Gaza last May. I saw children flooding the emergency room as mass casualties. I saw whole extended families and their neighbors shredded with shrapnel from blast injuries, burnt, and crushed. I have never lost so many patients with survivable wounds simply because their malnourished bodies lacked the strength to heal.

In January, I returned to a Gaza hospital amid the current ceasefire—hoping that the brief respite in the violence would mean that conditions had greatly improved for the people there.

While the break in the fighting meant that thankfully I had far fewer trauma victims to operate on, I was still stunned by the new level of destruction that had taken place during the eight months since my last mission. Building after building that stood during my mission in May was now destroyed. People struggled to survive in a landscape decimated by relentless bombing.

Even though the bombing had temporarily stopped, I still witnessed many lives lost unnecessarily due to infections, malnourishment, and the inability to provide basic post-operative care.

Even as Israeli authorities have ostensibly allowed more aid to enter during the ceasefire, it is still grossly insufficient. Even as my colleagues and I were finally allowed to enter Gaza after a week of unjustified delays and denied entry, we were prohibited from bringing many of the basic supplies needed to treat patients. And this week, just as Ramadan begins, the Israeli government has announced it is cutting off all aid into Gaza as it argues with Hamas over the terms for potential continuation of the ceasefire.

Instead of protecting civilians and health care workers, the United States has supplied many of the weapons used to attack them. We have provided diplomatic cover for Israel for repeatedly violating international law while denying the legitimate humanitarian needs of the Palestinians.

Now that Gaza lies in ruins due to these policies, our new administration is threatening and taking actions that could make the situation even worse.

First, the Trump administration decided to slash foreign aid and unilaterally shut down USAID—eliminating and defunding programs that helped provide desperately needed humanitarian aid and care to many in Gaza. Now, President Trump is outrageously calling for the full depopulation of Gaza and a U.S. "take over." His vision seems to be about making profits for himself and other wealthy developers, while ignoring the basic humanity and fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

I got to know and admire so many Palestinians during my missions there. They are devastated by what has happened, and terrified of what could happen if the current ceasefire collapses and the war and bombing resumes. Yet very few have any desire to leave the only homeland they have ever known.

They want what all people want, and they have the same inalienable rights that we do as Americans. As a country, we should recognize this and recommit to the universal principles that once made us a beacon of hope and justice.

As a veteran who once gave an oath to protect and defend this country and what it stands for, I implore our leaders to remember these values. Under both the Biden and now Trump administrations our policies have done tremendous harm in Gaza. We have lost our soul as a nation. We must recover our sense of decency, and the courage to do what is right.

Dr. Adam Hamawy is a trauma surgeon and U.S. Army veteran from Princeton, N.J. While serving in Iraq, he helped save the life of Tammy Duckworth, now a U.S. senator. Dr. Hamawy has volunteered on humanitarian medical missions around the world, including two missions to Gaza over the last year.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.