Doc on Turkish doctor in Gaza premieres in Tehran 

TEHRAN- “Dr. Taner,” a documentary featuring Turkish physician Taner Kamaci, a pediatric surgery specialist volunteering in Gaza, premiered at Tehran’s Palestine Café on Saturday, coinciding with Gaza Day.

The screening was attended by a group of Palestinian solidarity activists, artists, and Dr. Taner Kamaci himself, Mehr reported. 

Directed by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Majidpour, the documentary chronicles the life and humanitarian efforts of Taner Kamaci, who traveled to Gaza with a team of international doctors following the events of October 7, encountering a series of challenging experiences along the way.

Following the screening of the film, Kamaci, who was viewing the film for the first time, expressed gratitude to those involved in the film’s production.

He emphasized that the people of Gaza and Palestine have shown the world that for over 75 years, the Jewish community has been hiding behind a false mask.

He stated that the war in Gaza is unfolding before the eyes of the world, and the injustices and hardships faced by the people of Gaza have been witnessed by the majority worldwide. 

“The world is witnessing the oppression of the illegitimate Zionist regime as well as the resistance of the Palestinian people,” he said and added: “For more than a century, Western countries have been striving to attract the people of the Middle East towards themselves, yet the whole world has seen that the civilization the West pursues is a façade, and they desire human rights, freedom, and democracy solely for themselves.”

He explained that when it comes to Middle Easterners and Muslims, these demands hold no value. 

“Therefore, one can argue that a significant victory of the Gaza war is that the humanitarian mask of the West has fallen, revealing their true nature.”

Many countries, especially Muslim nations, have remained silent in the face of this oppression; if you recall, at the outset of the Gaza conflict, Netanyahu addressed world leaders, stating that if they wished to keep their positions, they had to remain silent, he noted. 

Consequently, all leaders wishing to retain power kept quiet, he added. 

“It is crucial to see how a nation resists and how patient they can be while remaining grateful even after losing everything. Through various films and writings, they presented themselves as a persecuted nation, hiding behind this lie; however, following the brutal violence in Gaza, the truth has been revealed.”

“Thank God a ceasefire has been declared, and it is our duty as Muslims to stand with the people of Gaza. Until now, we have had the excuse that we cannot go to Gaza to help them. With the ceasefire announcement, these excuses have no place anymore; we all have a responsibility, whether individually or through charities and organizations, to assist the people of Gaza,” he concluded. 

For his part Majidpour, the director of the documentary, also mentioned: “We became acquainted with Dr. Taner before this year’s Arbaeen, and it took quite some time to persuade him to agree to the film’s production. In this regard, in less than a week, arrangements were made for our trip to Turkey, where we met Dr. Taner and started the documentary.”

“It is our duty to document events. Various networks have interviewed Dr. Taner, but this is his first participation in our documentary. Regarding events in Palestine, governments believe that being present in war zones is to their detriment; however, Dr. Taner set aside boundaries and went to Gaza alongside physicians from other regions of the world,” he mentioned. 

Back in July, in an interview with the TRT World, Kamaci provided a harrowing account of the healthcare situation in Gaza during his volunteer mission. He described how injured patients were frequently stitched in standing positions without local anesthesia due to an overwhelming number of casualties and a severe shortage of medical supplies.

Dr. Kamaci noted that, during his two-week stay amidst ongoing Israeli bombardments, his medical team was able to perform surgeries on nearly 400 patients. He highlighted the operational challenges faced by medical staff, revealing that only four hospitals remained functional in Gaza at the time, with surgery only possible in two of them. This left many patients requiring long-term treatment without necessary care.

The surgeon also condemned the actions of the Israeli forces, stating that they indiscriminately target civilians, including the elderly, women, and children. He emphasized the gravity of the situation, describing it as significantly worse than what is currently reported from the area.

Over the past 15 months, at least 46,707 individuals in Gaza have lost their lives, including approximately 18,000 children. This staggering death toll indicates that one in every 50 people in Gaza has been killed, and many analysts and human rights organizations believe the actual figure may be significantly higher.

The violence escalated on October 7, 2023, following attacks on southern Israel orchestrated by the Palestinian group Hamas. Despite widespread global condemnation and urgent appeals from international organizations and rights groups, Israel has persisted with a campaign of collective punishment against the besieged enclave, where half of the population is under the age of 18. This ongoing assault has led to the destruction of entire generations within families, erasing them from civil registries.

SAB/