Dr. Bashir El Hayek has been practicing at the Palamós hospital (Baix Empordà) for two decades, the last five years as head of the ophthalmology service. He continues to attend to his obligations, but with more and more emotional obstacles. Because now he is a desperate man: his wife and his four children, three boys and a girl, the youngest, between 13 and 3 years old, are trapped in the Gaza conflict. They all have Spanish nationality, all the minors were born here, but he cannot get the authorities to get involved in his repatriation. “It is as if there was no real interest on the part of the Spanish Government in taking effective measures to protect its citizens,” he reproaches, while the situation worsens: “I notice that they are very desperate, with the noose getting tighter every day.” in the neck".
Palestinian, El Hayeck, 50 years old, emigrated to Spain when he was 16. He completed his degree and specialty at the University of Santiago de Compostela and, upon graduation, settled in Palamós, where he raised his family. He combines his work in the hospital with sporadic professional stays in the United Kingdom. A perfect plan. Two years ago, his wife, Abeer, and his children decided to spend some time in Gaza to learn about his origins. The doctor took a leave of absence and spent a year there. “My idea was to help the people of Gaza, but due to the embargo that exists it was practically impossible to exercise, there were no means and if something broke it was impossible to fix,” he says.
But the children – Jaafar (13), Yazid (12), Azubair (9) and Zahia (3) – adapted well. “They were studying and maturing, they lived a lot of life on the street. Despite the limitations, the crime rate there was zero. “They were safe and happy, and they could live better than other people.” Suddenly, hell. The incursion and massacre of Hamas in Israel, the replica. A rain of projectiles from both sides of a wall that looks like an abyss. “The second day the border was bombed and there was no way to get them out,” laments the doctor. He notified the situation to the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem, where the family is duly accredited, but there was no way.
After unsuccessful attempts in various instances, El Hayek presented, on October 19, a demand for the evacuation of Spanish citizens in Gaza to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Still no answer. The doctor is aware of the enormous impediments of an evacuation, so he suggests an alternative: "At the very least, keep us well informed, and provide a safe place for the children on the strip, with a minimum supply of water and food."
The situation is critical. Two hours after his conversation with La Vanguardia, on Friday, Israel carried out a harsh attack, described as genocide by the Palestinian doctor, and Bashir completely lost communication with his relatives. The ophthalmologist's writing to Foreign Affairs – prior to the latest offensive – denotes a Dantesque panorama, with death lurking in every corner: “For days they have not even attended to their most basic hygiene needs, such as washing their face, and food. is increasingly scarce. Malnutrition in them is becoming more and more evident. The fall of the bombs and the smoke they generate has reactivated the asthma of one of the minors, who depends on what is left of a 'ventolin' type inhaler to continue breathing." The house of a family closely linked to the El Hayeks was bombed and ten people died.
“The children are super scared. Apart from having a very difficult time without electricity and with just enough water and food to survive, the issue of bombs has them terrified. Every day 700 people are murdered; “The children are on death row, and they know it,” cries the doctor. With his soul in his fist, he continues working. “Because I have to meet my patients, who have nothing to do with the conflict. They just found out now, and I had not asked for help either because I was hoping that the Foreign Ministry would do something,” he explains. He is not alone. Coworkers, medical school, and former schoolmates of his children convey solidarity to him. The works council of the Palamós hospital has called a rally in front of the center every Tuesday at twelve noon. “Bashil El Hayek is a doctor, but above all he is a father desperate for not being able to protect, or in this case save, his family,” he says in a statement.
