A year and a half ago, an unidentified young man was rushed into the operating room, hovering between life and death.
We didn't know his name, and no one with him could identify him.
An exploding bullet had pierced his skull, causing a severe brain hemorrhage, comminuted fractures of his skull bones, and a portion of his brain tissue protruding.
The operation lasted over three hours under conditions no surgeon in the world would wish to work in.
June 14 marked the beginning of our efforts, following more than three months of preparation. Prior to this, we launched a patient registration link. Within 48 hours of the link's launch, over 1,400 patients registered, preparing for the first day of treatment as part of a medical convoy to the far north of the devastated Gaza Strip.
Here, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya raised his hands to announce the cessation of work at Kamal Adwan Hospital before he was abducted by the "israeli" occupation.
Today, June 14, 2026, the SUMUD Project's free clinic launched to care for the wounded and patients with brain and neurological conditions.
But first, she had survived something worse: famine.
This is a Story of SUMUD (صمود)—the Arabic word for steadfastness. The kind that doesn't ask for pity. The kind that keeps going when there is no food, no home, and no hope.
Meet one of Dr. Ahmed AlKahlout's patients in Gaza.
A mother. Displaced. Her home destroyed. Living through a brutal famine that made even a single grain of flour a dream.
The day before we opened our doors, we gathered as a team.
On June 13, the SUMUD medical team — led by Dr. Ahmed Alkahlout — came together for a final workshop. We reviewed protocols, aligned our vision, and prepared for the launch of something unprecedented: free, specialized neuro-medical care delivered directly to the most vulnerable communities in Gaza.
The next day, June 14, we opened our very first clinic at Kamal Adwan Hospital — the furthest north in Gaza, closest to the “Yellow Line.”
When a young man arrives at the hospital unidentified, with a bullet exploded in his brain, no CT scan available, and no anesthesiologist to be found for three hours — the world might say there is no hope.
