On 2 April 2024, Nick Ferrari interviewed Consultant Surgeon, Dr. Nick Maynard, for LBC.
During the interview, Dr. Maynard said this:
MAYNARD: "I last worked at Al-Shifa last May. I've been in Gaza only a few weeks ago but that was at Al-Aqsa hospital. We couldn't get to Al-Shifa hospital in the North during the current conflict but I was there in May, operating in the operating theatres there, carrying out cancer surgery, and it is the biggest hospital in Gaza, it's the major trauma centre, it's older than the state of Israel, it's 78 years of age now, and it's a wonderful hospital with many talented doctors and nurses. So, what has happened now is is nothing short of tragic. It is an appalling state of affairs...Thank you for your frankness, Dr. Maynard. 👍
I was in contact yesterday with Marwan Abusada... He's an old friend of mine I've worked with him for many years. It has been completely destroyed. We thought it had been destroyed back in October/November, but of course they started working again there now. But now it is a complete shell, I've seen seen photographs of it. Every single part of the hospital has been destroyed, the whole infrastructure of the hospital has been destroyed.
When I spoke to Marwan yesterday, he told me there were 107 patients still in the hospital, 60 medical staff. God only knows what has happened to them... Surgeons I know have been executed in the last 48 hours. Bodies have been discovered in the last 12 to 24 hours, who have been handcuffed with their arms behind their back. So, there is no doubt at all that that multiple healthcare workers have been executed there in the last few days, by the Israeli Defence Force."
FERRARI: "Why would they seek to execute surgeons and medical professionals?"
MAYNARD: "Well, they've been doing it since October the 7th. Over 450 healthcare workers have been killed. Friends of mine, that I have worked with over the years, many have been abducted as well, and nothing has been heard of them since. So, there is no doubt in my mind, and I can bear witness from this from my time at Alaxa hospital, and from talking to people, that there's been direct targeting of the Health Care system in Gaza, direct targeting of hospitals and multiple killings of healthare workers!
FERRARI: "When you worked at the other hospitals, have you at any time seen anything that would lead you to believe that there had been terrorists who were hiding in the hospital? That it was a depot for arms, or whatever else, or some of the allegations made by the IDF?"...
MAYNARD: "Many health care workers... who've been in Gaza since October 7th have been asked this and without exception every single one has responded to say they have never witnessed any Hamas militant in the hospitals they have worked in. My own experience, and I can only talk about my experience at the moment, I've never seen Hamas militants. When I was there in Al-Aqsa hospital for two weeks, I saw no evidence of that. My multiple trips to Al-Shifa hospital over the years, I have never seen any evidence of Hamas militant activity. And also, it's worth saying my access to every single part of those hospitals has been unrestricted throughout all the years I've been going there.
And the other thing to say is, the evidence that the Israeli Defense Force has put forward to demonstrate the presence of Hamas militants is is not remotely credible, and I'll quote two pieces of evidence. Back in early November they showed a photograph of what they claimed was a Hamas tunnel leading directly into Al-Shifa hospital and I recognize that as a ventilation shaft next to a hotel I stay in Gaza City.
The second bit of evidence that I'd like to quote, and again there's been multiple examples of this, they showed an MRI scanning unit in the Shifa hospital with a load of weapons in there, putting that forward as evidence as an arms store. Now an an MRI scanner relies upon a huge magnet to work, and the idea that people would be storing metal guns next to a giant magnet is not remotely credible as evidence of that being used as an arms store. So, no they've provided no evidence."
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