Villar, Richard Gaza Medic. A War Surgeon's Story 2024

Richard Villar, a former SAS medical officer and current war surgeon, volunteered to provide medical aid in the centre of the Gaza Strip during the invasion in 2024 and is no stranger to deployments in countries in conflict. In "Gaza Medic", he gives a first-hand account of his experiences in the war zone, where he faced his biggest challenges yet: After travelling overland from Cairo across the Sinai Peninsula, Villar found himself in a 200-bed hospital overcrowded with 700 patients, many of them women and children. The conditions were catastrophic and there was no safe place in Gaza. The hospital was under constant threat from drones, rockets, naval shells and machine gun fire, making it one of the most dangerous environments imaginable. Despite these dangers, he and his colleagues carried out complex operations on victims of bombing. Villar's moving account goes beyond the politics of war to focus on the raw, often brutal reality faced by medical personnel in conflict zones. Every day there were more casualties, the healthcare system was on the verge of collapse and the population was being decimated. "Gaza Medic" is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the true impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on individuals and communities. Villar's narrative is a vivid reminder that courage can be found when chaos reigns everywhere.