Exclusive:
The selfless quartet are spending Yule in the stricken enclave working for humanitarian medical NGO UK-Med, which runs two field hospitals there.
As families unwrap presents in Britain, thousands of miles away NHS medics will perform Christmas miracles — helping to preserve life in a place scarred by death.
The brave quartet are spending Yule in war-torn Gaza working for a British charity which runs two makeshift hospitals. But while people across the nation enjoy precious time with loved ones at home, their Christmas Day in the stricken enclave will start with an 8am meeting before two of them then go on a surgical ward round.
Another will head to the emergency department and the fourth to the charity’s second field hospital. Dr Matthew Newport, an NHS anaesthetist from Ramsbottom, is on a month-long stint in Gaza with UK-Med until early January — his fifth deployment in just a year.
Matthew, 37, said: “Being away from family at Christmas is an active choice, but there’s no pressure or guilt and I am happy to be here continuing to work alongside our phenomenal Palestinian staff as they work tirelessly under seemingly unending difficulties. As for family and friends it has been harder each time with my daughter, who at first was so young she didn’t really understand I was away any more than if I had gone to my NHS hospital for a longer time than usual. Now she’s very much aware and has grasped the idea of ‘helping poorly people’… I am confident I can make things up to her in Christmases to come.”
He explained: “Usually, Christmas in Lancashire is presents at home, then church and a relaxed (and food heavy!) afternoon with the wider family. Often one of either my wife or I will be working some combination of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day but we usually get a decent bit of time with the wider family in peace and relaxation.”
But Matthew – who had a “mini Christmas” before he left – added: “In Gaza, the necessary routine will continue unchanged, with our 0800 whole-team meeting followed by the surgical ward round and our first operation starting promptly by 0845. As Christmas is a Wednesday it is one of the 3 days a week we have our 2nd theatre running for caesarean sections and so we will be welcoming some newborns as well!
“The ‘Christmas Team’ here have brought some fairy lights, but we will find a way to add a Christmas feel to our tents and communal area. With our Primary Healthcare area seeing hundreds of patients a day, as well as the Emergency Department and Inpatient Wards everything will be continuing as ‘normal’ (though nothing here should be regarded as normal, nor accepted as such). This is just us here in the Al Mawasi field hospital, let alone our sister facility further North as well as our involvement supporting the Emergency Department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.”
With prices sky-high in the stricken enclave, Matthew is mindful of not wanting to add to the burden on supplies. The medics’ situation is nothing compared to the plight of ordinary Palestinians after more than a year of war, first triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel which killed about 1,200 people. Over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, health officials in the territory said earlier this month.
Matthew said: “With just one bag per person to bring across the border we’ve all brought a couple of Christmas treats to share – chocolate, nuts, powdered eggs, shampoo, peanut butter, basic things but things that are simply unobtainable here. Prices are astronomically high, with very few goods coming in, which adds to the daily pressure on all Palestinians, and we don’t want to be adding to that burden by depleting the very scarce local supplies in any way. I think it is more than enough to have a bit of time as a group, a team meal together and hopefully enjoy a peaceful day. A big morale boost for us, which sounds a bit odd but has been great, is our ‘Hospital Cat’ (Waffles) has recently given birth to 3 kittens (Tahini, Pancake & Baba Ganoush) who are excellent for keeping spirits high.”
Dr Clare Frost, an NHS GP from Cardigan, Wales, who leads the charity’s field hospital in Zuwaida, explained she is “used to working over the Christmas period” but acknowledged “this year is different”. The 38-year-old added: “I will not be able to see my family and friends until the end of January, which is difficult. And is certainly more difficult for my loved ones at home, who worry about my safety.”
She also highlighted food prices – explaining a single egg costs £1 and an apple £4. Medical supplies are a concern too. “Just recently we received some medical supplies which we’d been waiting for over four months,” she explained. “This has greatly improved our stock in our pharmacy, and we are now able to treat chronic medical problems – such as hypertension and diabetes, which have been neglected for over a year as medications were simply not available. Before this we were having to bring things like sterile gauze in our luggage. While we have stock now, we will run out quickly considering the numbers of patients we are seeing…”
The group of NHS medics – three doctors and a nurse – also includes Dr Clare Jefferys. The emergency doctor, who works with the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, arrived in Gaza on 16 December on her first deployment with UK-Med. The 36-year-old, from Carlisle, said: “All healthcare workers around the world, including my colleagues back home at my NHS trust, know that working over Christmas can be part of the job sometimes. This isn’t the first time I’ve been away working over the holidays, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.” To donate to UK-Med please visit: https://www.uk-med.org/donate-now
