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Gaza Medic: A War Surgeon's Story 2024
No stranger to operating in conflict-torn countries, Richard Villar, a former SAS Medical Officer and current war surgeon, volunteered to provide medical support in Central Gaza during the 2024 invasion. In Gaza Medic, he offers a gripping and harrowing first-hand account of his experiences working in the war zone, where he faced his most daunting challenges yet.
After traveling overland from Cairo across the Sinai Peninsula, Villar found himself working in a 200-bed hospital overrun with 700 patients, including many women and children. Conditions were dire and there was nowhere safe in Gaza. The hospital was under constant threat from drones, missiles, naval shells, and machine gun fire, making it one of the most perilous environments imaginable. Despite these dangers, he and fellow medics performed complex surgeries on victims of bombings. Medicines were limited, equipment minimal, and basic necessities such as clean water and sufficient food were luxuries.
Villar’s moving account transcends the politics of war to focus on the raw, often brutal, realities faced by medical professionals in conflict zones. Each day brought more mass casualties, with a healthcare system on the brink of collapse and the population facing decimation.
Gaza Medic is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the true impact of the Israel/Palestine conflict on individuals and communities. Villar’s narrative is a vivid reminder that courage can be found when there is chaos all around.
After traveling overland from Cairo across the Sinai Peninsula, Villar found himself working in a 200-bed hospital overrun with 700 patients, including many women and children. Conditions were dire and there was nowhere safe in Gaza. The hospital was under constant threat from drones, missiles, naval shells, and machine gun fire, making it one of the most perilous environments imaginable. Despite these dangers, he and fellow medics performed complex surgeries on victims of bombings. Medicines were limited, equipment minimal, and basic necessities such as clean water and sufficient food were luxuries.
Villar’s moving account transcends the politics of war to focus on the raw, often brutal, realities faced by medical professionals in conflict zones. Each day brought more mass casualties, with a healthcare system on the brink of collapse and the population facing decimation.
Gaza Medic is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the true impact of the Israel/Palestine conflict on individuals and communities. Villar’s narrative is a vivid reminder that courage can be found when there is chaos all around.
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2024
"You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your
parents, or your close relatives. Whether the person is rich or poor, God can best take care of both. Refrain from following your own desire, so that you can act justly- if you distort or neglect justice, God is fully aware of what you do."
It is very easy to be a 'keyboard warrior' and spew hatred from the warmth of your sofa and the luxury of a cosy room. It is very easy for politicians to say fancy words to satisfy their inflated egos. Easy to press the triggers to the missiles sitting in the remote rooms. What is not easy and at great personal risk: to be a journalist or a medic or a volunteer or certainly a victim in the war-torn area. Their pen is mightier than the sword, and their observation is more acute than that of 'zinnanah'. We are indebted to their efforts to give peace a chance.
Richard Villar, an orthopaedic surgeon, goes to Gaza ONLY to treat the casualties of the Occupation. Now he is the witness to the truth, and he fulfils the duty. The Book is brilliant and an eye-opener to the gravity of the situation and the extent of destruction. An absolutely remarkable and highly recommended read. My heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Villar and Medical Aid for Palestinians. (www.map.org.uk)
My absolute favourite excerpt from the book:
"The Palestinians, and to me they were stronger than oxen, looked at me with sympathy. "Can't you tell?" they asked, "that is not an explosion. It is a rumbling wall."
"You are the experts," I said, and together we laughed.
"We will tell you when to worry," they continued. "Until then just carry on."
They were right. All I did was watch Palestinians. When they ducked, I did. When they relaxed,so did I. Islam teaches its followers to understand death. Some even welcome it. Mohammad, our Jordanian theatre nurse, put it succinctly by quoting Quran:
"But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come."
Islam had a point. So I chose to carry on regardless, unflinching, and trusted today would not be the day. Yet if it was, so be it."
parents, or your close relatives. Whether the person is rich or poor, God can best take care of both. Refrain from following your own desire, so that you can act justly- if you distort or neglect justice, God is fully aware of what you do."
It is very easy to be a 'keyboard warrior' and spew hatred from the warmth of your sofa and the luxury of a cosy room. It is very easy for politicians to say fancy words to satisfy their inflated egos. Easy to press the triggers to the missiles sitting in the remote rooms. What is not easy and at great personal risk: to be a journalist or a medic or a volunteer or certainly a victim in the war-torn area. Their pen is mightier than the sword, and their observation is more acute than that of 'zinnanah'. We are indebted to their efforts to give peace a chance.
Richard Villar, an orthopaedic surgeon, goes to Gaza ONLY to treat the casualties of the Occupation. Now he is the witness to the truth, and he fulfils the duty. The Book is brilliant and an eye-opener to the gravity of the situation and the extent of destruction. An absolutely remarkable and highly recommended read. My heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Villar and Medical Aid for Palestinians. (www.map.org.uk)
My absolute favourite excerpt from the book:
"The Palestinians, and to me they were stronger than oxen, looked at me with sympathy. "Can't you tell?" they asked, "that is not an explosion. It is a rumbling wall."
"You are the experts," I said, and together we laughed.
"We will tell you when to worry," they continued. "Until then just carry on."
They were right. All I did was watch Palestinians. When they ducked, I did. When they relaxed,so did I. Islam teaches its followers to understand death. Some even welcome it. Mohammad, our Jordanian theatre nurse, put it succinctly by quoting Quran:
"But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come."
Islam had a point. So I chose to carry on regardless, unflinching, and trusted today would not be the day. Yet if it was, so be it."
October 22, 2024
Every day is a mass casualty day. (loc. 1456*)
Villar is an England-based surgeon, but he also has what sounds like extensive experience volunteering in conflict zones. His most recent travels took him to Gaza (not for the first time) in April of 2024 for a two-week stint providing medical care to locals. (See note about politics at the end of this review.)
I read this largely because although I read quite a lot of news (four news apps send me notifications, and chances are good that I've already read the article by the time the notification come through), it has felt difficult to grasp the scope of the situation in Gaza; sometimes it can be helpful to read a deeper dive of one person's experiences and observations. Villar is, for obvious reasons, focused on the medical situation in Gaza, and he points to things that I would not have thought to wonder about. Take some of the things he says about infection:
Back home in the UK, I work on an infection rate of 0.25 per cent of my patients. Even that small percentage distresses me. After the GMR [Great March of Return, in 2018], an infection rate of 80 per cent was normal. (loc. 127).
And in 2024: A war surgeon should think infection from the moment they first see a patient and keep thinking infection until it is time for the patient to be discharged. The infection rate at Al Aqsa Hospital was 100 per cent. Every wound was infected – a feature of circumstance. (loc. 929)
The score used by the IRC for Infection Prevention Control (IPC) allowed a maximum (best) score of 100 per cent. The pass mark was 75 per cent but Al Aqsa Hospital scored 29 per cent. This was far below what it should be, did not surprise me, and went a fair way to explain the hospital's huge infection rate. (loc. 1968)
Elsewhere, Villar describes the unique experience, in modern war surgery, of patients' families coming forward with phones in hand, each showing photos of their injured loved ones and begging for help; he makes estimates of a million or more surgeries needed in Gaza even if the war were to end in April and no more injuries were incurred, because so many injuries need so many surgeries over time.
As a book, it's not great. It's based on Villar's diaries from the time, which means (by the nature of diaries) that it's often repetitious and doesn't always have satisfactory answers. Although some of the numbers Villar mentions are striking, there weren't sources provided, so I'd want to check other sources as well (including for the infection rates mentioned above); moreover, the war has now doubled in length since Villar was in Gaza, meaning that some of the numbers, even assuming they were correct then, are simply outdated. That said, I have my eye on a few more recent and upcoming books about this war, from people of various backgrounds, and I expect there will be many more to come. This was a decent starting point to get a glimpse into an experience that is not mine and that can feel too big to grasp.
A note on politics: Villar notes many times throughout the book that he is a medic, not a politician. It is important to remain apolitical in warfare, he writes, and not to be seen to support any side. (loc. 1162) He may have managed that for the two weeks he spent in Gaza, but his personal opinions are very clear in the book. I guessed this going in (I don't expect that many books from volunteers in Gaza who are gung-ho about the Israeli government), but if you are gung-ho about the Israeli government (I don't particularly want to get into politics in a review either, but please note the focus on government, not people), this is not going to be the book for you; feel free to politely close this tab and look elsewhere.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Villar is an England-based surgeon, but he also has what sounds like extensive experience volunteering in conflict zones. His most recent travels took him to Gaza (not for the first time) in April of 2024 for a two-week stint providing medical care to locals. (See note about politics at the end of this review.)
I read this largely because although I read quite a lot of news (four news apps send me notifications, and chances are good that I've already read the article by the time the notification come through), it has felt difficult to grasp the scope of the situation in Gaza; sometimes it can be helpful to read a deeper dive of one person's experiences and observations. Villar is, for obvious reasons, focused on the medical situation in Gaza, and he points to things that I would not have thought to wonder about. Take some of the things he says about infection:
Back home in the UK, I work on an infection rate of 0.25 per cent of my patients. Even that small percentage distresses me. After the GMR [Great March of Return, in 2018], an infection rate of 80 per cent was normal. (loc. 127).
And in 2024: A war surgeon should think infection from the moment they first see a patient and keep thinking infection until it is time for the patient to be discharged. The infection rate at Al Aqsa Hospital was 100 per cent. Every wound was infected – a feature of circumstance. (loc. 929)
The score used by the IRC for Infection Prevention Control (IPC) allowed a maximum (best) score of 100 per cent. The pass mark was 75 per cent but Al Aqsa Hospital scored 29 per cent. This was far below what it should be, did not surprise me, and went a fair way to explain the hospital's huge infection rate. (loc. 1968)
Elsewhere, Villar describes the unique experience, in modern war surgery, of patients' families coming forward with phones in hand, each showing photos of their injured loved ones and begging for help; he makes estimates of a million or more surgeries needed in Gaza even if the war were to end in April and no more injuries were incurred, because so many injuries need so many surgeries over time.
As a book, it's not great. It's based on Villar's diaries from the time, which means (by the nature of diaries) that it's often repetitious and doesn't always have satisfactory answers. Although some of the numbers Villar mentions are striking, there weren't sources provided, so I'd want to check other sources as well (including for the infection rates mentioned above); moreover, the war has now doubled in length since Villar was in Gaza, meaning that some of the numbers, even assuming they were correct then, are simply outdated. That said, I have my eye on a few more recent and upcoming books about this war, from people of various backgrounds, and I expect there will be many more to come. This was a decent starting point to get a glimpse into an experience that is not mine and that can feel too big to grasp.
A note on politics: Villar notes many times throughout the book that he is a medic, not a politician. It is important to remain apolitical in warfare, he writes, and not to be seen to support any side. (loc. 1162) He may have managed that for the two weeks he spent in Gaza, but his personal opinions are very clear in the book. I guessed this going in (I don't expect that many books from volunteers in Gaza who are gung-ho about the Israeli government), but if you are gung-ho about the Israeli government (I don't particularly want to get into politics in a review either, but please note the focus on government, not people), this is not going to be the book for you; feel free to politely close this tab and look elsewhere.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
January 25, 2025
Gaza Medic, by Richard Villar, is an important book. Villar is no stranger to being a surgeon in conflict zones. Villar covers many topics in this diary from his time in Gaza, including the phrase conflict zone. He touches on how it's important for doctors to remain neutral. As a medic you’re there to do your job. Politics isn’t your area, warfare isn’t your area, medical aid is your area.
Villar also confesses that he can’t help but form opinions based on what he saw on the ground and from his interactions there. This becomes clear throughout his book and it is equally clear how he formed these opinions: he’s a human being witnessing human suffering.
Villar talks about infection rates. Back home in the U.K. he would work with an infection rate of 0.25% of his patients, and that number worried him. Villar was in Gaza in 2018, after the Great March of Return, the infection rate then was 80%. At Al Aqsa Hospital, last year, it was 100%. Infection becomes the rule, not the exception. If 0.25 scares you, 100 is apocalyptic.
Villar had the ability to roam the hospital freely and never saw any fighters, any bunkers or weapon storage. He didn’t see a single fighter in the hospital while there. Most of Villar’s patients were women and children. A statistics we should all be familiar with by now. A statistic that is also nothing new to the region.
Reflecting on why he signed up, why it was a time to act for him, his answer is simple: no reason, other than to sit idly by is the same as being complicit.
Reflecting on his diary today stirs a PTSD response: uncomfortable, gnawing in stomach, sweat, racing pulse, tremor in fingers, dilated pupils. Gaza is dangerous not just for locals and those displaced during the Nakba, it is also dangerous, even deadly, for aid workers. While there, there was no safe place in Gaza. Time will tell if that changes.
Villar is out and this book exists because of his time there. Circling back to the phrase conflict zone, I understand why he used it but for me it's an extermination camp. And, this book is more evidence of that. If you needed any more evidence.
Villar also confesses that he can’t help but form opinions based on what he saw on the ground and from his interactions there. This becomes clear throughout his book and it is equally clear how he formed these opinions: he’s a human being witnessing human suffering.
Villar talks about infection rates. Back home in the U.K. he would work with an infection rate of 0.25% of his patients, and that number worried him. Villar was in Gaza in 2018, after the Great March of Return, the infection rate then was 80%. At Al Aqsa Hospital, last year, it was 100%. Infection becomes the rule, not the exception. If 0.25 scares you, 100 is apocalyptic.
Villar had the ability to roam the hospital freely and never saw any fighters, any bunkers or weapon storage. He didn’t see a single fighter in the hospital while there. Most of Villar’s patients were women and children. A statistics we should all be familiar with by now. A statistic that is also nothing new to the region.
Reflecting on why he signed up, why it was a time to act for him, his answer is simple: no reason, other than to sit idly by is the same as being complicit.
Reflecting on his diary today stirs a PTSD response: uncomfortable, gnawing in stomach, sweat, racing pulse, tremor in fingers, dilated pupils. Gaza is dangerous not just for locals and those displaced during the Nakba, it is also dangerous, even deadly, for aid workers. While there, there was no safe place in Gaza. Time will tell if that changes.
Villar is out and this book exists because of his time there. Circling back to the phrase conflict zone, I understand why he used it but for me it's an extermination camp. And, this book is more evidence of that. If you needed any more evidence.
April 11, 2025
What a tale. Stories from the inside. From someone who has no political affiliations, whose political stance is not the important to this telling. Where the only thing that matters here, is telling the story of those who are in the midst of the chaos. The harsh reality for so many. Both locals, aid workers and those who want to help. What a tragedy that he may be right. When the war first started, he had mentioned to a friend that he was pretty sure that this war was a land grab…and it’s seeming to be the case. He tried to shed some light on everything, without exposing those who worked with him. To this day, he has to be careful about how much tells, and how much he reveals. Names especially.
May the world see the truth behind this war. It is a senseless war. it is not going in anyone’s favour. Except for those who are looking merely for the land. Which is being decimated by this war. If I didn’t know better, perhaps, DT will get his wish to turn Gaza into a resort town. What an appalling idea. Clear out a nation, to merely use the and for financial gain. Why should Palestinians be displaced simply because some of them have wealth? Why can’t they have wealth like others? Why do they have to go through this, because someone sees value in land but not in life?
Retaliation attack is one thing…but Israel is taking this too far. When you intentionally kill aid workers so that those who need them are in a position to never recover, it’s not simply political. It’s not simply about war or value of life. It is now about something more. It is now about something that is not at the forefront of peoples’s minds.
Thank you Dr Villar for writing this account. Opening the eyes of the world through this tale. May you find healing and peace from this operation. All the lives you helped will be forever touched, as yours will be forever marked. Thank God for doctors, people and humans like you. Blessings to you and those who surrounded you in the name of life preservation.
May the world see the truth behind this war. It is a senseless war. it is not going in anyone’s favour. Except for those who are looking merely for the land. Which is being decimated by this war. If I didn’t know better, perhaps, DT will get his wish to turn Gaza into a resort town. What an appalling idea. Clear out a nation, to merely use the and for financial gain. Why should Palestinians be displaced simply because some of them have wealth? Why can’t they have wealth like others? Why do they have to go through this, because someone sees value in land but not in life?
Retaliation attack is one thing…but Israel is taking this too far. When you intentionally kill aid workers so that those who need them are in a position to never recover, it’s not simply political. It’s not simply about war or value of life. It is now about something more. It is now about something that is not at the forefront of peoples’s minds.
Thank you Dr Villar for writing this account. Opening the eyes of the world through this tale. May you find healing and peace from this operation. All the lives you helped will be forever touched, as yours will be forever marked. Thank God for doctors, people and humans like you. Blessings to you and those who surrounded you in the name of life preservation.
November 12, 2024
I hate the cheesy line, I really wanted to love this book, but…
I really wanted to give this book five stars, because it needs so badly to EXIST.
Is it fair to say that I didn’t like it because it’s not like “other” war-surgeon books?
Because it doesn’t delve into medical stories of trauma and surgery and crisis, and because that is something I do look for, as a medical doctor myself?
Does that make me a rubber-necker, gloomy, feeding off despair?
I don’t think that’s it, not entirely.
It’s also that Gaza Medic is largely a stream of consciousness, interspersed by philosophy and axioms on war surgery; with the occasional encounter with Palestinians.
The jumping between tenses doesn’t work. The author explains why he does it, but I still don’t think it works. What is diary, and what is reflection? And where are the dates? (Or is that merely and eARC problem?)
I absolutely find this worth a read, just not a five-star read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for providing this eARC.
I really wanted to give this book five stars, because it needs so badly to EXIST.
Is it fair to say that I didn’t like it because it’s not like “other” war-surgeon books?
Because it doesn’t delve into medical stories of trauma and surgery and crisis, and because that is something I do look for, as a medical doctor myself?
Does that make me a rubber-necker, gloomy, feeding off despair?
I don’t think that’s it, not entirely.
It’s also that Gaza Medic is largely a stream of consciousness, interspersed by philosophy and axioms on war surgery; with the occasional encounter with Palestinians.
The jumping between tenses doesn’t work. The author explains why he does it, but I still don’t think it works. What is diary, and what is reflection? And where are the dates? (Or is that merely and eARC problem?)
I absolutely find this worth a read, just not a five-star read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for providing this eARC.
December 17, 2024
WoW what an excellent book Gaza Medic by Richard Villar was. This was a book that just took My breath away, and a must read! It is a War Surgeon's Story, Richard Villar, is a former SAS Medical Officer and current war surgeon, who volunteered to provide medical support in Central Gaza during the 2024 invasion. In Gaza Medic, he wrote a gripping and harrowing first-hand account of his experiences working in the war zone, where he faced his most daunting challenges yet. Despite all these dangers, he and fellow medics performed complex surgeries on victims of bombings. Medicines are limited, all equipment minimal, and basic necessities such as clean water and sufficient food were luxuries for everyone.
This book is a moving account that transcends the politics of war and focus on the raw, and often brutal, realities which is faced by medical professionals in all conflict zones. With each day passes it brings more mass casualties, with a healthcare system on the brink of collapse and the population facing decimation. WoW......just took My breath away and I could not stop reading it!
This book is a moving account that transcends the politics of war and focus on the raw, and often brutal, realities which is faced by medical professionals in all conflict zones. With each day passes it brings more mass casualties, with a healthcare system on the brink of collapse and the population facing decimation. WoW......just took My breath away and I could not stop reading it!
October 2, 2024
This was probably one of the most biased books i've read on this topic to date - From the start it points out how Israel targeted journalists on purpose, which you can't know that for certain. Language used is IDF are barbaric and I don't think any book should be that biased when you are telling the supposed story of being a medic! Not for me and won't be recommending it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews