During this week of Thanksgiving, I am once again reminded to count my blessings. This year it is a blessing to understand the hardships and frustrations my Palestinian colleagues currently face, with no end in site, and their amazing hope and resilience. I don’t know that I could do the same. They teach me as I shore up my own strength to face what lies ahead with the outcome of our recent election.

Below I share their stories with you.

The Value of Family Medicine and Female Leadership During the Gaza War

From my tent in the refugee camp in central Gaza, I watched the other families living nearby. As a family physician and mother, I saw how hard the women worked to secure food…

“We Haven’t Even Started Crying Yet”: Caring for the Family Under Occupation and War in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Primary care is the backbone of many health care systems around the world. With 15 years of experience in primary care, 6 of those as a family physician,and 4 as the director of family medicine in the Ministry of Health (MoH)in the West Bank, I (B.M.) understand primary care’s importance and the dimensions that family medicine adds to the field. Through my participation in the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) and travel to primary care centers in other countries, I have realized that providing care under occupation is not easy. Likewise, the challenges of practicing primary care and family medicine amidst conflict are overwhelming…

Perspectives of Palestinian physicians on the impact of the Gaza War in the West Bank

The West Bank has been under military occupation since 1967. When the Israeli army attacked Gaza after October 7th, 2023, the situation in the occupied West Bank became much worse. We interviewed Palestinian physicians about practicing under occupation and how the Gaza War has impacted their professional and personal lives.

May you find your own reasons for gratitude.