ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA, 20 Oct. - (ANA) - A Palestinian-American doctor who joined the recent Gaza flotilla says he was met with violence and humiliation from Israeli forces after setting sail to deliver desperately needed medical aid to the besieged enclave.

 

Dhia Daoud, an emergency physician from Orlando, Florida, said he joined the mission out of moral duty, hoping to raise awareness of Gaza's worsening humanitarian catastrophe and deliver medical supplies to those trapped under Israeli blockade.

 

"I'm originally Palestinian, but that’s not the reason I went there. I went because there's a genocide and the whole world is silent about it," Daoud told The New Arab.

 

"As a physician, I have a moral responsibility to help any part of the world and to tell the truth about what is happening there," he said.

 

Daoud’s family fled Gaza in 1948 during the Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians that marked Israel’s creation. He grew up in Jordan, Libya and Saudi Arabia before moving to the US at 22. Though he built a life there, the suffering of Palestinians has never felt distant.

 

"My parents are 1948 Nakba survivors. They left Gaza for Jordan. It’s exactly what’s happening right now," he said. "I still have family in Gaza. Some have died."

 

He joined around 100 people, including 40 healthcare workers, who departed from Otranto, Italy, in late September on a ship carrying 900 kilograms of medical supplies. Their eight-day journey was meant to end in Gaza. Instead, Israeli forces intercepted them in international waters.

 

"It was a really scary scene. They went down from the helicopter, pointed laser guns at us, and went on the ship," Daoud said, describing the early morning raid. "I was wearing a white jacket and a surgical hat, to show I wasn’t a threat. We were doctors. They had me take my jacket off, and we were taken off the ship to a filthy area filled with urine."

 

Israeli forces seized the vessel and diverted it to Haifa, preventing the volunteers from delivering their aid.

 

Daoud said he was detained for three days, kicked in the stomach, and pressured to make false statements before being expelled from the country.

 

"It was such an emotional trip. We were really saddened that we didn't go to Gaza. We felt we let people down," he said.

 

According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel’s assault, which began in October 2023, has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, with at least 440 dying from starvation. Even after a peace agreement and prisoner exchange earlier this month, Israeli airstrikes have continued to hit Gaza.

 

Daoud says his experience only deepened his resolve to speak out against what he calls a genocide unfolding in real time.

 

"The entire world has an obligation to stop genocide from happening," he said.  -     - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/20 October 2025 - - -