Izzeldin Abuelaish ( ar, عزالدين أبو العيش), is a Canadian-Palestinian
medical doctor
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and author. He was born in
Gaza, and was the first Palestinian doctor to work in an Israeli hospital and has been active in promoting Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. During the
Gaza War in January 2009, his three daughters and a niece were killed by Israeli tank fire directed at his home. He had been calling in reports about the effect of the war by phone to a TV station. In his regularly scheduled report, in tears, he described their killing on-air, in a video that was widely circulated in Israel and around the world. The Israeli military initially claimed that Dr. Abuelaish's house was targeted because it was the source of sniper fire. A day later the Israelis claimed to be targeting militants. It was further alleged falsely that the dead girls' bodies contained shrapnel from
Qassam rockets
The Qassam rocket ( ar, صاروخ القسام ''Ṣārūkh al-Qassām''; also ''Kassam'') is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired ...
.
[
He emigrated to Canada and wrote a 2011 ]memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...
entitled ''I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity''. He now resides in Toronto, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
, with his remaining children.
Life and career
Abuelaish was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp
Jabalia Camp ( ar, مخيّم جباليا) is a Palestinian refugee camp located north of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip.
History
The Jabalia refugee camp is in the North Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of ...
in the Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
. He received his elementary, preparatory and secondary education in the refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...
schools.
Abuelaish received a scholarship to study medicine in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. After completing medical studies at Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
in 1983, he earned a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...
from the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
From 1997 to 2002, he completed a residency in OB/Gyn at the Soroka Medical Center
Soroka University Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי סורוקה, ''HaMerkaz HaRefu'i Soroka''), part of the Clalit Health Services Group, is the general hospital of Beersheba, Israel, it serves as the central hospital of the region and ...
in Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
, Israel, followed by a subspecialty in fetal medicine in Italy and Belgium; then a master's degree in Public Health (Health Policy and Management) from Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.[
Abuelaish was the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital, where he treated both Israeli and Palestinian patients. He worked as a physician in the Gaza Strip and also worked part-time in Israel at Soroka Medical Center and ]Sheba Medical Center
Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer ( he, המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), also Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel, located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan at Tel HaShome ...
. After the Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, he was one of the few Gazans to continue entering Israel regularly. He lived in a multi-story building in Jabalia
Jabalia also Jabalya ( ar, جباليا) is a Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestini ...
that he and his brother had built.
In 2008, his wife died of leukemia, and he was left to raise their eight children.[
Immediately before the 2008–2009 Gaza War between Palestinian paramilitary groups and the ]Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF), he was a researcher at the Sheba Hospital
Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer ( he, המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), also Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel, located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan at Tel HaShome ...
in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
and already an important figure in Israeli-Palestinian relations. His daughters had attended a peace camp with Israeli children in the United States.
During the three-week war, he gave reports and interviews to the Israeli media on the situation in Gaza. On January 16, 2009, a few days before the end of the war, an Israeli tank fired two shells at his home, killing three of his daughters and a niece. An Israeli military investigation of the incident concluded that fire had been directed at his house after figures spotted on the roof of the building had been suspected of being observers directing sniper fire against Israeli troops. The incident occurred as he had been corresponding live with Channel 10 reporter Shlomi Eldar
Shlomi Eldar (born February 11, 1957 ) (Hebrew: שלומי אלדר), is an Israeli television journalist and film maker. He is a correspondent at Israeli Channel 13 news. He served as a reporter and editor for Channel 1 between 1990 and 2003 an ...
, and his reaction to learning of the deaths of his daughters was broadcast live to Israeli audiences.
The death of his daughters strengthened his resolve to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
He founded the "Daughters for Life Foundation" in memory of his three daughters who were killed. The organization provides scholarship awards to encourage young women from Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria to pursue their studies at universities in Canada, the United States and Belgium. The foundation aims to invest in the potential for young women's leadership and to foster their success.
He is currently Associate Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
.
He wrote a 2011 memoir entitled ''I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity''.
In February 2013, he attended the Karachi Literature Festival
Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is an annual international literary festival held in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the first festival of its kind in Pakistan. It is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing literary festivals. Till 2019, ten ...
in Pakistan where he narrated the events surrounding the death of his daughters killed in the Israeli airstrike. According to ''The Express Tribune
''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Interna ...
'', "there was hardly anyone in the audience who did not choke or wipe away a silent tear while listening to Palestinian doctor and author Izzeldin Abuelaish..." Abuelaish described the event of his daughters' deaths as follows:
He became a Canadian citizen in 2015.
Honours and awards
* 2009: Stavros Niarchos Prize for Survivorship
* 2009: Search for Common Ground Award of Search for Common Ground
* 2009: Middle East Institute Award of the Middle East Institute
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, D.C., founded in 1946. It seeks to "increase knowledge of the Middle East among the United States citizens and promote a better understan ...
* 2009: Nominee, Sakharov Human Rights Prize
* 2009 & 2010: Named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims for two consecutive years by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought.
Its publications include:
*''A Common Word Between Us and You''
*'' The Amman Message''
*''Forty Hadith on Divine ...
* 2010: Uncommon Courage Award; Queens College Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding
* 2010: Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award of Canada, Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Canada
* 2011: Lombardy Region Peace Prize
* 2012: Calgary Peace Prize The Calgary Peace Prize is an annual Canadian award that is given by Mount Royal University.
The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals globally for their work supporting peace, "making the world a more just, safer and less violent place. ...
, Calgary Centre for Global Community and Consortium for Peace Studies at the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
* 2013: Member of the Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...
, awarded by the Province of Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Cana ...
*2013: Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winner
* 2014: Winner in the internationally reputed category of the Public Peace Prize
* 2016: Honorary degree, Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...
* 2017: Meritorious Service Cross
The Meritorious Service Cross (french: Croix du service méritoire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, his or her Governor-in-Council. Cr ...
, gifted by the Canadian monarch
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the found ...
, his or her Governor-in-Council
* 2018: Max Mark Cranbrook Global Peacemaker, Wayne State University, Center for Peace and Coflict Studies. Eric Montgomery, Fred Pearson
Works
*
References
External links
Izzeldin Abuelaish Two Years After Israeli Attack that Killed 3 Daughters & Niece
– video report by ''Democracy Now!
''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...
'', January 19, 2011
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish – ''I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Path to Peace and Human Dignity''
book tour presentation at Powell's Books
Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City of ...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, January 18, 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abuelaish, Izzeldin
1955 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of London
Cairo University alumni
Harvard School of Public Health alumni
Members of the Order of Ontario
Naturalized citizens of Canada
Palestinian pacifists
Palestinian obstetricians and gynaecologists
People from Jabalia Camp
Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration
University of Toronto people