AMERICAN DOCTOR: ‘Can we accept what we have done or not done?’: harrowing film follows doctors in Gaza. American Doctor follows three volunteer doctors as they try to save lives on the frontline and then return to the US to become advocates in congress

"... But the moral weight of American Doctor lies not just in its depiction of Gaza but its unflinching examination of the political and media machinery that enables it." 

Feroze Sidhwa in American Doctor.

Photograph: Watermelon Pictures

When she wanted to confront Americans about the consequences of their actions – or inactions – in Gaza, Poh Si Teng reached for a genre with mass popular appeal: the medical drama.

“Whether it’s The Pitt, Grey’s Anatomy, House, ER, even a comedy like Scrubs, you name it,” the documentary film-maker says via Zoom from her New York apartment. “I thought to myself, there’s something about medical dramas and doctors and human mortality in this space so let’s make The Pitt. The difference is it’s real and it’s set in Gaza and maybe this is the way to bring Palestine back to the United States.”

The result is American Doctor, a 93-minute film directed by Teng and co-produced with Kirstine Barfod and Reem Haddad, which premiered at the Sundance film festival and is out now in US cinemas.

The documentary follows three doctors from different cultural and religious backgrounds – Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American emergency doctor; Mark Perlmutter, a Jewish orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina; and Feroze Sidhwa, a Zoroastrian trauma surgeon based in California – as they volunteer on the frontlines of Gaza’s collapsing hospital system.

They return to the US as advocates in the halls of Congress, which continues to send military aid to Israel. The film highlights the unique position of American doctors as witnesses whose professional standing makes their testimony difficult for politicians and even rightwing media to dismiss as propaganda.

The journey of Teng to making the film began in the fall of 2024, a year into the military campaign in Gaza. The Malaysian-American had spent years as a producer, documentary commissioning editor for Al Jazeera English and creative director at ABC/Disney but felt suffocated by the professional and political silence surrounding what she does not hesitate to call a genocide.

 “I was so frustrated and it felt like nothing was changing,” the 41-year-old explains. “In our journalism circles, even though we were seeing so many Gazan journalists being targeted and executed, it felt like in the western part of the world – specifically where I was situated in New York – that people were still whispering about Palestine... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/gaza-doctor-documentary

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UNICEF: At least 300 children reportedly killed in Gaza in past 300 days "A ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each and every day is failing children" ... "With hundreds more children injured, many severely, children in Gaza are still waiting for the end to the violence they were promised."

UNICEF/UNI657364/Eyad El Baba Jasser, a 7-year-old child from Gaza, looks out of one of the broken walls of a tent.

AMMAN, 6 August 2026 – At least 300 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza in the 300 days since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025. This amounts to an average of one child every day, despite an agreement for the suspension of military operations and the full entry of humanitarian aid and relief almost 10 months ago.

"A ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead each and every day is failing children," said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder. "With hundreds more children injured, many severely, children in Gaza are still waiting for the end to the violence they were promised."

Families are now crowded into roughly a third of the Gaza Strip, sheltering in unsafe conditions among destroyed buildings, rubble and accumulated solid waste. Across the Strip, children continue to face acute malnutrition, disease, unsafe water and damaged sanitation systems. 

"Announcements made in recent days set out a roadmap for the next phase of the ceasefire, including steps towards ending hostilities and scaling up humanitarian relief. This offers new hope and a chance to finally stop children being killed," said Beigbeder. "For children in Gaza, the test is simple. Does the killing stop? Does aid reach them at scale? Do hospitals reopen and water flow? Will children return to school safely in September? Children have heard promises before. This time, agreements must translate into action."

UNICEF calls on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law. They must protect children, safeguard their access to essential goods and services, including healthcare, education, safe water and food, and allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to children in need.

About UNICEF

UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.

Follow UNICEF on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-300-children-reportedly-killed-gaza-past-300-days 

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‘They want to break our will’: Gaza flotilla activist tells of rape in Israeli detention... Anna Liedtke files criminal complaint in Israel over alleged attack by female guards and says abuse was intended to silence campaigners

Anna Liedtke pictured in Cologne, Germany. ‘There is no reason for me to be ashamed.’ Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian

Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem

Wed 15 Jul 2026 09.00 EDT

The third time Anna Liedtke was subjected to an illegal strip-search in Israeli detention, female prison guards forced her on to her knees, covered her mouth to stop her screaming and raped her, according to interviews and a criminal complaint filed in Israel.

She described hearing male guards laughing during the attack, which she believes they watched and may have filmed. It took place in an area separated from the prison hallway by a partially drawn curtain that her attackers had left open.

Liedtke, 25, joined a flotilla sailing from Europe to Gaza with humanitarian aid last autumn. Israeli forces intercepted her boat in international waters on 8 October and took her to Israel, where she was detained for five days.

The abuse and violence directed at flotilla participants in Israeli prisons, including rape, was intended to intimidate, Liedtke said. “It’s clear they want to break our will and silence us, making this so traumatic that we will never talk about Palestine again,” she told the Guardian.

Instead, she told friends and doctors within days. In December she became the first flotilla activist to talk publicly about rape in Israeli detention. More than a dozen others have reported sexual assault, most anonymously.... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/15/gaza-flotilla-activist-rape-complaint-israel-anna-liedtke

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Small boats in the flotilla leaving a port in southern Italy, setting sail for Gaza. Photograph: Orietta Scardino/EPA

NPR: Israel seizes medieval castle as it expands major offensive in southern Lebanon... "Israel must know that its scorched earth policy, collective punishment and expropriation of villages and towns will not achieve security and stability but will instead deepen the divide with the Lebanese people"

Israeli troops patrol at the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. Israel said Sunday it had captured the hilltop castle, which provides a commanding view of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Israel has been rapidly expanding its offensive in Lebanon in recent days.

Courtesy of Israel Defense Forces

Jane Arraf  reported from Beirut and Greg Myre  reported from Tel Aviv.

May 31, 20269:33 AM ET

 

BEIRUT, LEBANON — Israeli forces have captured a medieval castle in southern Lebanon which dates back to the Crusader era and raised their flag on the strategic mountaintop, part of Israel's deepest military push into Lebanon in 26 years.

Video showed the Israeli flag fluttering from atop the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle while black smoke billowed from the nearby town of Arnoun. The rapidly expanding Israeli operation, including a swathe of destroyed villages, suggests Israeli forces are planning an extended presence in the region.

Israel previously held the castle during an 18-year-old long military occupation that ended in 2000. A quarter-century later the Israelis are still fighting Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran.

In recent days, Israel has rushed in ground troops and intensified air strikes — while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to "crush" Hezbollah — despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that is officially still in place.

The fighting threatens to complicate, or even undermine, the U.S.-Iran efforts to end the war in Iran. Iran says any agreement must also include an end to the conflict in Lebanon.

"Our brave soldiers have captured the Beaufort once again — and they will remain there as part of the security zone in Lebanon," Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the invasion.

Middle East conflict

Mirroring Gaza, Israel is destroying towns and villages in southern Lebanon

"Israel must know that its scorched earth policy, collective punishment and expropriation of villages and towns will not achieve security and stability but will instead deepen the divide with the Lebanese people," he said in an address to the nation Saturday.

Israeli attacks and demolitions have leveled entire villages in southern Lebanon and have now displaced more than 1.2 million people. The Lebanese ministry of public health says more than 3,300 people have been killed, about 20 percent of them women, children and first responders... READ MORE  https://www.npr.org/2026/05/31/g-s1-125056/israel-seizes-medieval-beaufort-castle-southern-lebanon

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" “I think [Palestine] is the moral issue of our time and I believe it’s been used to undermine democratic institutions in the US,” Elghandour said. He referred to the cancelled invitation as a sign or “erosion of free speech and the first amendment”. “We’ve seen a livestreamed genocide,” he added. “And we’re supposed to worry about the feelings of the people who support that.” " Rami Elghandour

Rami Elghandour. Photograph: Courtesy Rami Elghandour

Rutgers graduation speaker canceled for pro-Palestinian posts says decision sends ‘dangerous’ message

Rami Elghandour tells Guardian in exclusive interview his speech was cancelled due to students’ complaints

Rutgers University abruptly rescinded its invitation to a prominent alum who was slated to deliver a graduation speech next week after some students complained about social media posts he had published about Palestine.

Rami Elghandour – a tech entrepreneur, graduate of Rutgers’ School of Engineering, and executive producer of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab – was set to deliver a graduation address at the school’s campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey on 15 May.

But the school’s dean, Alberto Cuitiño, called Elghandour last week and told him he was cancelling the speech because of students’ complaints, though he declined to say how many students and what posts they had complained about. The dean, Elghandour said, broadly described the posts as “opposed to their beliefs”.

“What is most puzzling to me is that they champion me for my humanitarian views and now they’re canceling me for them,” Elghandour told the Guardian in an exclusive interview... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/06/rutgers-cancel-graduation-speech-pro-palestine-post

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A girl in Az Za’ayyem Bedouin community (Jerusalem governorate) stands on what remains of her home following its demolition by Israeli authorities due to the lack of building permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians, April 2026. - Humanitarian Situation Report | 1 May 2026

A girl in Az Za’ayyem Bedouin community (Jerusalem governorate) stands on what remains of her home following its demolition by Israeli authorities due to the lack of building permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians, April 2026. Photo by OCHA

OCHA OPT (Palestine)

@ochaopt

 

In #Gaza, NGO workers have been killed, services suspended & key supplies restricted. 

 

In the #WestBank, demolitions have driven record displacement amid violence. 

 

All the while, just over 10% of humanitarian funding for 2026 has been secured. Read more: http://ochaopt.org/content/humani

 https://x.com/ochaopt/status/2051332140743237849

https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-report-1-may-2026 

In the West Bank, 2026 has so far recorded the highest monthly average of people displaced due to lack-of-permit demolitions in over 17 years for which UN records are available.

 

Israeli forces and settlers killed four Palestinians, including two children, between 21 and 27 April, and a Palestinian woman died of injuries sustained during an Israeli operation in 2023.

 

Settler attacks on education are increasing pressure on rural families to leave their homes and communities.... READ MORE  

• Highlights
• Overview
• Gaza Strip
  • Lack of Engine oil and Spare Parts
  • Incoming Supplies
  • Fuel
• West Bank
  • Casualties and Settler Attacks
  • Access to Education
  • Displacement
  • Humanitarian Impacts of Raids and Other Operations
• Funding
• Annexes
  • Annex 1: Humanitarian Operations in the Gaza Strip by Cluster    
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Trump’s Iran war has cost Americans at least $11bn already. And that’s just the start- That $11.3bn doesn’t include any estimate of repairing facilities or replacing losses.- Arwa Mahdawi

‘Imagine for a second if we lived in a country where the government actually cared about its citizens.’ Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Generally speaking, when you bomb another country, and that country retaliates, you call it a “war”. Very simple word. Three letters. Even Donald Trump knows how to spell it.

But be careful about calling the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which have expanded into an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon, a “war”. The geniuses in the White House can’t seem to figure out what the hell they’re doing. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, announced on 5 March that “we are not at war” and that the US has “no intention of being at war”. Some lawmakers, such as Senator Cynthia Lummis, meanwhile, are arguing that the US has been in “forever war” with Iran for decades.

But whatever you call this – a war, a limited operation, a bloodthirsty act of imperial hubris – the costs of “Operation Epic Fury” are exorbitant. Civilians in Iran and the wider Middle East are paying with their lives: more than 1,300 people have reportedly been killed in Iran, including more than 200 children. Meanwhile, more than 800 people have been killed in Lebanon, including more than 100 children, and more than 815,000 people displaced.

While missiles may not be raining down on Washington DC the way they are in Tehran, ordinary Americans are paying a heavy price too. Nobody knows how or when this war will end, but I can tell you one thing for sure: Americans will find themselves far poorer because of it.

 First, let’s look at the sticker price of the war itself, not including all the knock-on effects on the economy. Exactly how much taxpayer money has been spent on killing schoolchildren and causing a humanitarian and environmental disaster is hard to pin down. Last week Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that... READ MORE

  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/17/trump-iran-war-cost-americans-11-billion

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So the State Department used an emergency authority to give Israel $650 million in 500lb, 1000lb, and Small Diameter bombs. What happens next?

A New Policy

 

@anewpolicyorg

 

So the State Department used an emergency authority to give Israel $650 million in 500lb, 1000lb, and Small Diameter bombs. What happens next?

 

BREAKING: Late on a Friday evening, when public attention is at its lowest, the Administration is once again blowing up the Congressional review process to notify a major arms sale to Israel. Details to follow.

 

With U.S. munitions stockpiles under strain, tonight @SecRubio is invoking emergency authority to expedite the sale to Israel of 20,000 munitions worth over $650 million.

 

The sale includes 12,000 BLU-110 1,000lb bombs made by Turkish firm @Repkon_Inc 's US subsidiary. Some of the bombs will be transferred directly *from U.S. stocks* per @StateDeptPM

The BLU-110 is the base bomb for the MK-83, which has been cited by the UN as having been used in strikes in Gaza including on hospitals. See   https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/pattern-israeli-attacks-gaza-hospitals-raises-grave-concerns-report

The remainder of the transfers, including 10,000 BLU-111s (the component bomb for the MK-82 500lb bomb) will not be publicly posted because they are an expansion of a previously notified case - such expansions are sent to Congress, but not publicly posted. 

https://x.com/anewpolicyorg/status/2030073081130021083

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https://anewpolicypac.org/ 

A New Policy

@anewpolicyorg

 

America’s lobby for a new U.S. policy toward the Middle East that advances our interests and aligns with our values.

Washington, D.C.

Americans who believe in a U.S. policy toward the Middle East that advances American interests and reflects American values of freedom, equality and human rights. 

What We Do

Provide supporters with the critical information and resources needed to determine which candidates for Congress support a new policy toward the Middle East. 

Who We Support

Candidates for federal office who seek to support a new U.S. policy toward the Middle East that serves American interests, reflects American values, and complies with American law.