Dr. Bashir El Hayek has been working 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 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 their children were born here, but they cannot get the authorities to get involved in their repatriation. “It’s as if there is no real interest on the part of the Spanish Government to take effective measures to protect its citizens”, he criticizes, while the situation is getting worse: “I notice that they are very desperate, with the rope more and more narrow in the neck”.

Palestinian, El Hayeck, 50 years old, immigrated to Spain at 16. He completed his degree and specialty at the University of Santiago de Compostela and, when he finished them, he settled in Palamós, where he formed the his family He combines work at the hospital with sporadic professional stays in the UK. A perfect plan. Two years ago his wife, Abir, and their children decided to spend a season in Gaza to learn about their origins. The doctor asked for a leave of absence and spent a year there. “My idea was to help the people of Gaza, but because of the embargo it was practically impossible to exercise, there were no means and if something was damaged it was impossible to fix it”, he says.

But the children – Jaafar (13), Iazid (12), Azubair (9) and Zahia (3) – adapted well. “They were studying and maturing, they lived a lot on the streets. Despite the limitations, the crime rate there was zero. They were safe and happy, and could live better than the rest of the people.” Suddenly, hell. The raid and slaughter of Hamas in Israel, the aftershock. A shower of projectiles on both sides of a wall that looks like an abyss. “On 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 without a solution.

After unsuccessful attempts in several instances, El Hayek presented, on October 19, a demand for the evacuation of Spanish citizens in Gaza before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No answer yet. The doctor is aware of the enormous obstacles to an evacuation, so he suggests an alternative: “At least they keep us well informed and find a safe place for the children in the strip, with a minimum supply of water and food.”

The situation is critical. Two hours after the 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 in Exteriors – prior to the latest offensive – denotes a Dantesque panorama, with death hanging around everywhere: “For days they have not even taken care of their most basic hygiene needs, such as washing – the face, and the food is increasingly scarce. Malnutrition is becoming more and more evident. The fall of the bombs and the smoke they generate has reactivated the asthma of one of the children, who depends on what is left of a Ventolin-type inhaler to keep breathing.” The house of a family very close to the El Hayeks was bombed and ten people died.

“The children are super scared. Apart from having a very bad time without electricity and with just enough water and food to survive, the issue of bombs has them terrified. 700 people are murdered every day; the children are on death row, and they know it”, cries the doctor. With a shrinking heart, he continues to work. “Because I have to comply with my patients, who have nothing to do with the conflict. They just found out about it now, and I hadn’t asked for help either, because I expected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do something”, he explains. He is not alone. Co-workers, College of Medicine, former schoolmates of his children send him solidarity. The company committee 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 first of all he is a father desperate for not being able to protect, or in this case save, his family,” the health center says in a statement of support.