Inverness doctor reunited with family members after they were allowed to leave war-torn Gaza
An Inverness doctor is hoping to evacuate more of his family out of Gaza after four members were allowed to leave the war-torn territory.
Dr Salim Ghayyda, a consultant paediatrician at Raigmore Hospital, has spoken of his relief following an emotional reunion in Egypt with his elderly parents, a sister and nephew.
They were able to cross the border to safety thanks to generous donations from members of the public who have supported an ongoing online appeal which has raised almost £37,000 so far.
But 28 immediate family members remain in Gaza where they are at risk of dying from Israeli bombardment, dehydration, starvation or widespread disease amid the ongoing Israel Hamas war.
Coffee morning raises more than £7k in support of Inverness doctor’s family in Gaza
'It's absolute hell on earth, there is no food.'
Dr Ghayyda, a British Palestinian who has served the NHS for 20 years, is now hoping another four members of his family will soon be allowed to leave after he paid $15,000 to an official travel agency.
He described the moment he was reunited with his mother Dalal (75), father Nabil (85), his sister Hadeel and nephew Waleed.
“It was fantastic,” Dr Ghayyda said.
“There were a lot of tears - and of course, there was a lot of relief on my part now that I have seen them.
“There were times when I thought I would never see them alive again.”
He said although they were not yet back to full health having spent months living in desperate conditions with little food and trying to sleep on a hard floor amid the sounds of bombing, they were improving.
“Imagine six months of not sleeping,” Dr Ghayyda reflected.
“They were only having one meal a day.
“Even what they were eating was mainly from tins.
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“There was no fruit or vegetables for a long time and as for meat - forget it. There was nothing with meat.
“They had nothing to cook on for a long time.”
He said the risk to people’s lives was not just from the threat of bombs and rockets but the knock-on health impact of the deteriorating situation in Gaza .
“The health service as a concept has been dismantled by Israel,” he said.
“We are talking about the hidden consequences.”
He said his sister - who is a primary school teacher - had been very thin and malnourished although she was starting to improve.
Having managed to bring four of them to safety, Dr Ghayyda said there was no access to public services or a refugee programme.
“You are on your own,” he said.
“You have to find private rented accommodation and you have to pay for everything including healthcare.
“It’s still tough but Egypt is a safe country and at least they are safe from being killed or injured.
“There are a lot of families like that.
“I don’t know how many Palestinians have left - it must be tens of thousands who have left one way or another.”
As his parents reflect on what happens next, he felt there was a range of emotions.
“When I speak to them, they are still talking about their home and country.
“They feel when this onslaught is finished, they will go back and try to rebuild.
“To be honest, they are the optimistic ones. I am probably more pessimistic.
“What will they go back to?
“Their homes have been destroyed. The doctors have left. The teachers have left.
“There is no water, no electricity, no roads, no infrastructure.
“It is still not fair that they had to be uprooted.”
His parents also had to leave their children and grandchildren behind in Gaza while his nephew had to leave his mother behind.
“It was very difficult and a tough choice to make,” Dr Ghayyda said.
“Unfortunately, they are not the only ones we are looking to evacuate.”
Most of his remaining family are living in makeshift tents in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than a million people are taking refuge while his brother, a radiographer, his wife and his young daughter remain trapped in the north.
Dr Ghayyda is now waiting to hear whether another brother, an accountant, his wife and their two children, aged five and two, will be allowed to leave Gaza by the same way as the other family members.
It is a difficult and uncertain process involving a $5000 payment per adult and $2500 per child, followed by an anxious wait in the hope that their names will appear on an approved list of people allowed to cross the border at Rafah.
Dr Ghayyda has been touched and humbled by the support of the public including a recent coffee morning organised by Highland Hearts for Palestine which raised £7784 and was attended by young and older people.
“The support has been very generous and amazing,” he said.
“I think it has gone beyond my immediate friends and acquaintances.
“There are a lot of people who have never heard of me but have supported me.
“At the coffee morning, I knew a few people but I didn’t know about 80 to 90 per cent of people who were there.
“I think a lot of people who are not politically active came along because they are probably horrified by my family’s story and thousands of stories like mine.”
Dr Ghayyda has returned full-time to his job at Raigmore Hospital where his focus is on the children and families in his care.
But the rest of the time, he is consumed with worry and fear for the safety of his family.
“Emotionally I am on a knife edge,” he said.
“Am I okay? No, I am not.
“I don’t think anyone could be okay in my position.
“But seeing my parents is giving me a lot of hope for the future.”
