A few doctors in Gaza are operating on a child – they’re fixing his little thumb. Even when they’re timing themselves they seem so relaxed, doing routine work. American Doctor, from director Poh Si Teng, captures the lives of three doctors working to help Gaza, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, Dr. Mark Pelmutter, and Dr. Thaer Ahmad. Sidhwa, a non-practicing Zoroastrian, and Pelmutter, who is Jewish, have their boots on the ground, helping as they can. Ahmad, who can’t come to Gaza because he’s Muslim and Palestinian-American, does advocacy work in Middle Turtle Island (‘US’).

Helping in Gaza seems like futile work, since genocide over there seems to have to end in sight. But just like most futile work, one can’t help to do it anyway with the hope of making a difference. American Doctor balances footage from both Gaza and Turtle Island because of that work. Pelmutter watches as Sidhwa is on the news, reminding people of the genocide on a numbers basis. A child in Gaza, as a reminder, is 600 times more likely to untimely die as a child is in the Ukraine.

Working in the Nasser hospital when it was still running is busy, thankless work, but there is some downtime. In those few minutes, American Doctor captures these medical professionals reminding people at home about the realities in Gaza. Pelmutter talks on the phone about feeling defenseless as ‘Israel’ kills more children, while Sidhwa receives interviews about those attacks. At the background, the camera can see gray buildings that are as good as rubble, people perhaps trapped under. One can’t help, while seeing this film, to pray that one day, Gaza and Palestine will be finally free.

Dr. Feroze Sidhwa operates alongside Palestinian medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Gaza.