Kids Under Fire in Gaza

Summary

Reveal Podcast: "Kids Under Fire in Gaza" Summary

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Kids Under Fire in Gaza," Reveal delves deep into the harrowing realities faced by children in Gaza amidst ongoing conflict. Hosted by Al Letson and produced by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this episode collaborates with Al Jazeera's Fault Lines to present a compelling narrative through the eyes of dedicated American doctors on the front lines.

Mimi Syed’s Decision to Enter Gaza

The episode begins with Dr. Mimi Syed, a board-certified emergency room physician from Olympia, Washington, who becomes increasingly aware of the turmoil in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks. Initially unfamiliar with the region's history, Mimi becomes deeply affected by the graphic images and stories she encounters on social media.

Mimi Syed [00:50]: “Shamefully, I didn't know anything about the history. I didn't know anything about the occupation and things going on there.”

Driven by a sense of medical duty, Mimi decides to volunteer her expertise to assist those in desperate need.

Mimi Syed [01:27]: “There was a medical obligation on my part just as a physician, you know, there is a need.”

First Encounters in Gaza

Upon arriving in Gaza in August 2024, Mimi is immediately thrust into a crisis environment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The facility is overwhelmed with casualties, particularly children suffering from gunshot wounds to the head—a pattern that raises alarming suspicions about the deliberate targeting of minors.

Mimi Syed [04:47]: “Kids would come in dead with single shots to the head. There was no other injury on them.”

Despite the dire circumstances, Mimi manages to save the life of a four-year-old girl named Meera, marking a rare glimmer of hope amidst pervasive loss.

Mimi Syed [07:07]: “This was the only child that actually, that I saw. I was able to get to the CT scan that survived. A lot of them came in very similar to her presentation, but were dead already.”

Advocacy and Backlash: The New York Times Op-Ed

Returning home after a month in Gaza, Mimi collaborates with Dr. Firoz Sidwa to advocate for urgent policy changes. They co-author an op-ed in The New York Times calling for an immediate ceasefire and a weapons embargo on Israel. However, the op-ed garners significant backlash, with some medical professionals doubting the authenticity of Mimi's accounts.

Mimi Syed [10:18]: “How could you do that?”

Sean Worley [09:26]: “It's a good letter, but I don't think it's going to do anything. Who cares? Just try.”

The Leahy Law and Human Rights Violations

A significant portion of the episode explores the Leahy Law, a U.S. statute intended to prevent military aid to foreign units implicated in human rights abuses. Despite extensive documentation of violations by Israeli forces, the law has never been enforced against Israel.

Dr. Firoz Sidwa [23:16]: “Defense unit has ever been denied US assistance under the law that we're aware of. It is the only country they're aware of that the law has been so consistently not applied to.”

Former State Department official Charles O'Blaha reveals systemic issues preventing the enforcement of the Leahy Law against Israel, highlighting political reluctance and procedural obstacles.

Charles O'Blaha [28:28]: “I was mistaken. I was wrong.”

International Legal Proceedings and ICC Involvement

The episode further examines international responses, notably the International Criminal Court's (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for both Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of war crimes and genocide.

Dr. Firoz Sidwa [40:55]: “The ICC issued arrest warrants for leaders of both Hamas as well as Israel, notably its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.”

South Africa's application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel violated the Genocide Convention underscores the global legal ramifications of the conflict.

Katie Gallagher [43:20]: “At the time we collected statements from doctors. We knew that one of the venues that we would be asking them to put the statements into was the ICJ.”

Continued Advocacy and Emotional Toll

Undeterred by initial setbacks, Mimi and Firoz persist in their advocacy efforts, expanding their outreach to international bodies like the United Nations. Their journey takes them from Capitol Hill to the UN headquarters, where they seek to amplify their message on a global stage.

Mimi Syed [18:36]: “We're in DC and we're walking to some meetings with state reps and hoping to discuss the various issues that are ongoing in Gaza.”

Meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres brings a momentary sense of achievement as Guterres responds positively to their testimonies, calling for medical evacuations of children out of Gaza.

Mimi Syed [39:35]: “Secretary General just tweeted a positive note that he was receptive, that he will see to change. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday when I came from DC.”

However, the resumption of intense military operations by Israel and subsequent humanitarian crises in Gaza dampen their spirits.

Mimi Syed [49:34]: “I have not been able to accomplish any change for the people of Gaza. It feels like everything I do is moot.”

Conclusion

"Kids Under Fire in Gaza" paints a poignant and unsettling portrait of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, emphasizing the plight of innocent children caught in the crossfire. Through the tireless efforts of Dr. Mimi Syed and Dr. Firoz Sidwa, the episode highlights the systemic challenges in addressing human rights violations and the complex interplay of medical ethics, international law, and political inertia. Despite facing immense emotional and professional hurdles, Mimi and Firoz embody resilience and unwavering commitment to advocating for the voiceless victims of war.

Mimi Syed [50:25]: “That's all I can do. I can go back. I can be there in solidarity. And that's the least I can do.”

Key Takeaways

• The deliberate targeting of children in Gaza is a critical humanitarian concern, with substantial evidence suggesting systemic violence.
• The Leahy Law remains unenforced against Israel, despite clear documentation of human rights abuses, revealing deep political complexities.
• International legal bodies like the ICC and ICJ are beginning to engage with allegations of genocide and war crimes, though political resistance persists.
• Persistent advocacy by medical professionals is both essential and fraught with emotional and logistical challenges, highlighting the need for broader systemic change.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Mimi Syed [00:50]: “Shamefully, I didn't know anything about the history. I didn't know anything about the occupation and things going on there.”
• Mimi Syed [01:27]: “There was a medical obligation on my part just as a physician, you know, there is a need.”
• Mimi Syed [04:47]: “Kids would come in dead with single shots to the head. There was no other injury on them.”
• Mimi Syed [07:07]: “This was the only child that actually, that I saw. I was able to get to the CT scan that survived. A lot of them came in very similar to her presentation, but were dead already.”
• Mimi Syed [08:09]: “There is no end. It just keeps going. And futility is the only way to describe it, because no matter what you do, you're not changing the outcome.”
• Mimi Syed [10:18]: “How could you do that?”
• Dr. Firoz Sidwa [23:16]: “Defense unit has ever been denied US assistance under the law that we're aware of. It is the only country they're aware of that the law has been so consistently not applied to.”
• Mimi Syed [49:34]: “I have not been able to accomplish any change for the people of Gaza. It feels like everything I do is moot. I mean, it has literally started over again, and our government is right behind it, proudly and smugly, you know, saying, yes, we stand by Israel. And it is absolutely discouraging. And I don't know how else to describe that?”

Final Remarks

This episode serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles in Gaza and the critical role that medical professionals play in both providing care and advocating for systemic change. Mimi Syed and Firoz Sidwa's experiences underscore the urgent need for international awareness and policy intervention to protect the most vulnerable in conflict zones.

Transcript

[Al Letson]

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[Najeeb Amini]

From the center for Investigative Reporting and prx. This is revealing. Hello, I'm Al Letson. Like many Americans, Mimi Syed followed Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attacks through videos on Instagram and TikTok. This part of the world was foreign to her.

[Mimi Syed]

Shamefully, I didn't know anything about the history. I didn't know anything about the occupation and things going on there.

[Najeeb Amini]

But she became glued to her phone. Mimi kept scrolling, watching post after post. Then in the summer of last year, she saw one image too many.

[Mimi Syed]

There's a child that was pulled out of rubble and just like a rag doll and was completely dead. I remember driving in the morning to work and I said to my husband, hey babe, I gotta talk to you about something. I texted him and he messaged me back. He goes, you're going to Gaza, aren't you? I have these skills that this population needs. I need to show up.

[Najeeb Amini]

Mimi is a board certified emergency room doctor who knows how to help in a very practical way.

[Mimi Syed]

There was a medical obligation on my part just as a physician, you know, there is a need.

[Najeeb Amini]

At the time, doctors were one of the only groups consistently let into Gaza. Israel wasn't allowing outside observers from groups like Human Rights Watch and the only foreign journalists allowed in were embedded with the Israeli army. Now Mimi, a doctor from Olympia, Washington was about to enter one of the most restricted parts of the world.

[Mimi Syed]

I knew that it was dangerous. I actually didn't realize how much more dangerous it was until I actually got there.

[Najeeb Amini]

This hour we're teaming up with Al Jazeera's fault lines to look at Gaza through the eyes of a group of doctors who after treating patients in a war zone, decided it they needed to do more. And a heads up. This story contains descriptions of trauma and violence. Reveals Najiba Meaney takes it from here.

[Firoz Sidwa]

For Mimi, going to Gaza meant she had to say goodbye to her family, her husband and three kids.

[Mimi Syed]

Have fun at lunch and have a good game.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Her five elderly dogs that well range in size.

[Mimi Syed]

Ready?

[Firoz Sidwa]

Oh my gosh, this guy's huge.

[Mimi Syed]

This is Yogi. He's the smallest one. He weighs four pounds, but he attacks.

[Firoz Sidwa]

All the big dogs. And then there are the pigs, four of them.

[Mimi Syed]

So Hammy wants The most attention, and he'll fight for attention. You be nice. You be nice.

[Firoz Sidwa]

If you lost count, that's one husband, three kids, five. Five dogs and four demanding pigs.

[Mimi Syed]

They give you a lot of love back and it's rewarding. And I don't really think that there's anything in life that's worth doing if it's not a little bit of work.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi's the medical director at a Level 4 trauma center in Washington state. When she first left for Gaza In August of 2024, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had just been assassinated in Iran. And the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for more than 80% of Gaza. By this time, humanitarian access was severely restricted and there were reports of a polio outbreak. One after another, hundreds of injured people.

[Najeeb Amini]

Are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi goes straight to work at the same hospital, one of the largest in Gaza. It's in disarray and overcrowded. Far too few beds, far too few doctors, hardly any supplies, and so many people in need of care. And just hours into her first shift, she gets hit by her new reality. Mass casualty events. On a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a shift.

[Mimi Syed]

I was seeing things that I never in my life thought I would see. I think that the explosive injuries and the shrapnel and the gunshot wounds kind of overwhelmed my view at that time because there was nothing else that I was seeing because those are such severe injuries.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Then there was something else she rarely saw back home.

[Mimi Syed]

Kids would come in dead with single shots to the head. There was no other injury on them. I mean, it's never normal to have a child with a gunshot wound in his head or her head or chest.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi was working in the emergency trauma bay where they used a green, yellow, red triage system to handle the injuries influx of patients. Green for minor cases, yellow for more moderate ones, and red for the most critical. And then there's one other color. Black.

[Mimi Syed]

Yeah, black is the patient's dead or there is nothing you can do to salvage them. Or if you could, it's wasting resources. Because the prognosis is so poor.

[Firoz Sidwa]

One morning around 8 or 9am, the hospital quickly gets overwhelmed. Another mass casualty event. Patients are flooding in. That's when a four year old girl named Meera shows up to the trauma bay. Her injuries are not considered green, yellow or red, but black.

[Mimi Syed]

She had a wound in her head.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi knows what the other doctors in the room know. Mira's chances at survival are not great.

[Mimi Syed]

In fact, the prognosis for that to survive is very Poor, very, very low, near impossible.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Taking the time and resources to save Mira could mean that someone else might not be saved. But then she notices. Mira wins.

[Mimi Syed]

And that usually, is a good neurologic sign.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi pulls out a medical device, a laryngoscope, which is a small, curved blade with a light that allows a doctor to see inside one's throat. She says she had to smuggle this basic device into Gaza because of Israel's restrictions on medical equipment out of security concerns in the medical world, this device is used for airway protection, and she uses it to help intubate Meera. Right away, as the girl's breathing steadies, Mimi orders a CT scan.

[Mimi Syed]

There was a bullet lodged in her head, and I just remember thinking immediately, like, she needs to go to surgery.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi sprints upstairs to get the attention of a neurosurgeon. They rush Meera to surgery, and miraculously, she survives. It's a tiny win for Mimi, who immediately is tending to newer patients. She only gets to reflect on it much later.

[Mimi Syed]

This was the only child that actually, that I saw. I was able to get to the CT scan that survived. A lot of them came in very similar to her presentation, but were dead already.

[Firoz Sidwa]

During this trip, Mimi says she treated at least 18 children with gunshot wounds to the head or chest. To her, these injuries seemed deliberate.

[Mimi Syed]

They were in children under the age of 12. That's something I saw every single day, multiple times a day, for the whole four weeks that I was there.

[Firoz Sidwa]

It would take an investigation to determine whether these shootings were deliberate, but to pursue one would be impossible because the Israeli Defense Forces haven't allowed independent observers to enter Gaza. After 30 days in Gaza, Mimi returns home with an immense sense of guilt. Yes, she saved some lives, but it paled in comparison to the greater need in Gaza.

[Mimi Syed]

There is no end. It just keeps going. And futility is the only way to describe it, because no matter what you do, you're not changing the outcome.

[Firoz Sidwa]

But that feeling changes one day when Mimi gets an email.

[Mimi Syed]

Firoz had actually sent out an email shortly after I'd gotten back, asking physicians to complete a survey with some questions about what they saw when they were in Gaza.

[Firoz Sidwa]

His name is Dr. Faroz Sidwa, a trauma surgeon who's based in Stockton, California.

[Sean Worley]

I kept a diary while I was there, and actually, it wasn't until I came back that I realized, like, holy shit, I saw a lot of kids shot in the head. I saw a lot of kids maimed. A war doesn't explain why, you know, half the people in your ER are 10 years old or younger.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Like Mimi Firoz also worked in Gaza. Now he was writing a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The letter called for an immediate ceasefire and weapons embargo on Israel. He was trying to corral signatures from other American doctors and healthcare workers who who also worked in Gaza. But getting them to sign on was harder than he thought.

[Sean Worley]

They were like, oh, no, it's not going to make any difference. Why sign the letter. I'm like, dude, just sign the fucking letter. Like, what is your problem? It takes 30 seconds of your time.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Oh, I read it.

[Sean Worley]

It's a good letter, but I don't think it's going to do anything. Who cares? Just try.

[Firoz Sidwa]

He landed with 99 signatories, including Mimi. Next, Feroz created a survey for the doctors to complete and he began tallying the data for an op ed for the New York Times. Mimi filled out the survey and submitted a few photos, including one of Mira's CT scan showing a bullet, bright white, lodged deep in her skull. After a rigorous round of fact checking, the op ed went live.

[Mimi Syed]

Suddenly, everyone becomes a ballistic expert and radiologist on X.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Apparently, people didn't believe Meera had been shot in the head.

[Mimi Syed]

There was like, you know, particular radiologists, surgeons, trauma surgeons who all started saying, like, that's impossible. It is an impossibility that a bullet would just get retained. This is obviously a bullet taped onto a child's head or a person's head or something. Taped, taped.

[Firoz Sidwa]

People accused Mimi of lying, even though the CT scan showed the entry wound and swelling in Meera's brain. For Mimi, having other physicians second guess her work felt like a betrayal.

[Mimi Syed]

I mean, honestly, it felt like this is an impossibility that physicians who call themselves humanitarians are ignoring that children are being shot in the head. How could you do that?

[Firoz Sidwa]

The Israeli military hasn't publicly commented on the New York Times op ed, but they have in the past rejected the claim that its troops have deliberately fired on civilians. Here's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists. And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they're the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties. Hamas has rejected the Israeli claim that they use human shields. The overall response to the op ed didn't change the reality on the ground in Gaza, which at the time was facing a famine. Israel continued its blockade on aid and the multiple attempts at ceasefires had all broken down. So Mimi, defeated but undeterred, decides to book a return trip back to Gaza.

[Mimi Syed]

I mean, I decided to go back because it was getting worse.

[Firoz Sidwa]

This time, Mimi goes with a different intention.

[Mimi Syed]

I went back because I felt I was needed, but because I'm a health care worker, we are one of few that actually go in to witness this. So I felt another moral obligation to go witness and report and to bring it to attention of media, of humanitarian organizations around the world so that we could stop this.

[Firoz Sidwa]

And this time she also recorded audio diaries. This is how that second trip starts.

[Mimi Syed]

It's about 6 o' clock in the morning and that's what we're waking up to.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi spends most of her time in central Gaza working shifts at Al Aqsa Hospital, a large medical complex that's been the target of multiple Israeli attacks since October 7th. She's living inside the hospital in a small area that has been repurposed with a few mattresses laid out on the floor. The kitchen area is just a hot plate. There's no heat, it's cold, and the windows provide very little insulation. The hospital is crowded with people living in the hallways and outside in tent encampments. But as the days unfold, one major difference Mimi notices since her last trip to Gaza is that there aren't as many mass casualty events.

[Mimi Syed]

The trauma cases that we are seeing secondary to military conflict is decreased.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Instead, she notices a different kind of medical emergency, the kind of thing you see when you look at photos of Holocaust survivors in concentration camps.

[Mimi Syed]

We are noticing patients with temporal hoisting.

[Firoz Sidwa]

And cachexia, picture images of people with unusually thin faces and protruding cheekbones. That is usually a sign of extreme.

[Mimi Syed]

Malnourishment, just terrible conditions that you would typically not see in any other normal country.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi was seeing this at scale in Gaza. Mimi continues to treat patients and take photos and document what she can. But the magnitude of it all gets to her.

[Mimi Syed]

I feel defeated, discouraged, and like coming here was a big mistake.

[Firoz Sidwa]

And then as surprise, Mimi gets to visit with Mira, the four year old girl she helped save.

[Najeeb Amini]

Hi, Mimi.

[Mimi Syed]

Victora.

[Najeeb Amini]

Mimi, Victora.

[Mimi Syed]

Mimi, you remember Sunny. How are you?

[Najeeb Amini]

I miss you.

[Mimi Syed]

I miss you.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mira is wearing a pink hoodie, sitting in a tent, not next to her mom, who you can also hear. Mira's a little shy, but she's showing off her nail polish.

[Mimi Syed]

How are you? Look at your fingers.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Wow, I love it. Good?

[Mimi Syed]

Yes, very good. And she's playing and interacting normally. We add, we add. Oh, that's amazing.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Seeing Mira temporarily brightens Mimi's spirits. But Mimi can't shake the fact that so many kids didn't survive and she wants policymakers to know what she's seen. So not long after she returns home, she plans another trip. This time it's to Washington, D.C.

[Najeeb Amini]

Up next, Mimi walks the halls of the Capitol.

[Mimi Syed]

I have a little bit of hope being here. Hope, hope, hope that someone will listen.

[Najeeb Amini]

That's coming up on re.

[Al Letson]

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[Firoz Sidwa]

Hi, this is Sean Worley from the communications team here at the center for Investigative Reporting and I'm talking to our genuine fans out there. You never miss an episode. Maybe you're rocking the T shirt right now. You know who you are. While the show you love is nonprofit and listener supported, which means we need fans like you to become members. Just text the word give to 88857 reveal. That's 888-577-3832 or visit revealnews.org donate a gift of any amount says you care about this show and you've got our back. So thanks.

[Najeeb Amini]

From the center for investigative reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Ledson. It's January 2025 and Dr. Mimi Syed has just wrapped up her month long stint working in one of the few functioning hospitals remaining in Gaza. She's now in Washington, making her way towards the US Capitol.

[Mimi Syed]

We're in DC and we're walking to some meetings with state reps and hoping to discuss the various issues that are ongoing in Gaza.

[Najeeb Amini]

Mimi is here as a part of a great grassroots movement of doctors who want to share what they saw in Gaza with members of Congress. She wants them to understand the catastrophic health conditions on the ground reveals. Najib Amini is tagging along.

[Firoz Sidwa]

How are you feeling?

[Mimi Syed]

A little anxious.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Why?

[Mimi Syed]

I'm not sure what to expect. I've not done anything like this before.

[Najeeb Amini]

Donald Trump has just started his second term and was already making headlines with his new ideas about Gaza.

[Firoz Sidwa]

You're talking about probably a million and a half people and we just clean out that whole thing.

[Najeeb Amini]

A new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has recently gone into effect, so the attacks have mostly stopped. Mimi sees the ceasefire and the incoming Congress as a new window of opportunity to bring relief to those in Gaza. Her day on Capitol Hill is jam packed with 30 minute meetings at the offices of both Democrats and Republicans. Her bare minimum asks to policymakers, get aid in, get patients out. But Mimi has one other message to pass on, one about the children she treated when she was in Gaza. She carries with her what she feels is evidence of this humanitarian problem, evidence that finally might get Congress to act.

[Mimi Syed]

Yeah, it's a Walgreens photo envelope that says find smiles inside. It's not filled with smiles at all, actually. It's filled with pretty disturbing images of a child with a bullet in her head.

[Najeeb Amini]

The child is four year old Meera, who you heard about earlier in the show. One child of the many who suffered a critical gunshot wound. As Mimi heads towards one of her meetings, she runs into a familiar face. Dr. Firoz Sidwa, the trauma surgeon who penned the New York Times op ed. They walk down the hallways, passing senators on their left and right.

[Sean Worley]

I'm not a political expert. Honestly, I could recognize Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump.

[Najeeb Amini]

For the two American doctors who just left Gaza, a new kind of work begins.

[Mimi Syed]

Yeah, we're about to walk into Senator Thune's office. He's the Majority Leader for the Senate.

[Sean Worley]

Walking into Pete Aguilar's office in California.

[Mimi Syed]

We are walking into Senator Amy Klobuchar's office of Minnesota.

[Sean Worley]

We are going to Representative Ronny Jackson from Texas, who, as I understand, is President Obama's former physician. So this will be interesting, but it.

[Najeeb Amini]

Quickly turns into an uphill battle. The two never meet with any representatives or senators, mostly junior staff and aides. They go through similar talking points in each meeting, including for Mimi showing the photo of Mira's CT scan. But during one meeting, there's skepticism about that image.

[Mimi Syed]

Froz was pointing out the swelling in the head and the entrance of the wound here, the bullet here, in the front there.

[Sean Worley]

And still people are skeptical of this image. It's just completely insane.

[Najeeb Amini]

They aren't given any assurances that members of Congress will take action. All they hear is that their requests will be passed on to the Congressmember. It's like the people they're talking to won't allow the message to sink in.

[Sean Worley]

Once you consider the possibilities that Israel and the US Aren't always doing the right thing, just by definition, then maybe your mind can also be open to the fact that maybe Israel is actually committing crimes deliberately, and maybe we aided and abetted them deliberately.

[Mimi Syed]

I think that people already know this.

[Sean Worley]

No, they know. They're fully aware.

[Mimi Syed]

I mean, it's the elephant in the room, right? I think everybody knows. It seems kind of odd to have to convince people that shooting kids in the head is wrong.

[Najeeb Amini]

For Mimi and Firoz, meaningful action from policymakers would involve the US Cutting back military support to Israel, which is by far the biggest recipient of aid from Washington. And there's a law already in place that's supposed to do that. It prohibits U.S. aid from going to foreign military units accused of human rights violations. Our partners for this hour, Josh Rushing and the team at Al Jazeera's Fault Lines spent time looking into that law and how it applies to Israel. Here's Josh.

[F]

Policymakers in the United States have been trying to figure out how to punish countries who were accused of violating human rights for decades. The first legislation dates back to the 70s. It was supposed to cut off all US security aid when crimes were committed. It was a blunt instrument, so blunt it was never used even when there were credible allegations against foreign military units. So in the 90s, policymakers came up with a more surgical approach called the Leahy Law. If a country doesn't hold its security forces accountable for violations like rape, torture, and murder, then the US Is supposed to withhold its security assistance from those specific units.

[G]

The Leahy Law has utility and is consistent with who we are, what we stand for.

[F]

Tim Reeser wrote the Leahy Law when he was a senior advisor to former Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. He's known as one of the more influential people on the Hill when it comes to crafting U.S. foreign policy. Under the Leahy Law, instead of a foreign government losing all their support from the US Only the units committing human rights violations are cut off. And in a lot of cases, it worked. When the State Department recognized a pattern of human rights violations in countries like Colombia, Guatemala, and Indonesia, it had a mechanism to cut military aid to the units in question. But with Israel, it's never been enforced. Every year since its founding in 1948. The US has poured billions of dollars into Israel and regularly contributes about 15 to 20% of Israel's annual defense budget. That's gone up even higher since hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

[G]

There's probably not a unit in the Israeli army that either hasn't been trained and or received equipment from the United States. That's just the reality because we provide far more to Israel than we do to any other country.

[F]

But for decades there has been extensive documentation showing that units in the Israeli security forces have committed human rights violations, often against children. One of the most famous cases was caught on camera in 2000. 12 year old Mohammed Al Dharra was.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Shot in his father's arms this weekend.

[Mimi Syed]

Video that has been shown around the world is the video of a man.

[H]

Trying to protect his son.

[Firoz Sidwa]

He is playing, pleading with the soldiers, saying I have a child, I have a child. And the next frame is his son shot dead.

[F]

Three years later. Before Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza and Hamas took over, three children were killed in a four hour standoff in a refugee camp there. And then between March 2018 and March 2019, during a series of protests at the border with Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least 41 children, mostly by live fire. According to the UN, the commission has.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli security forces committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

[F]

According to a number of NGOs, the Israeli military has committed gross violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories both before and after and after October 7th. Take this one report from Defense for Children international Palestine. Between October 2023 and July 2024, they documented 141 Palestinian children killed by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied west bank and East Jerusalem. More than three quarters were shot dead, often to the head or torso. That kind of fatal injury, as opposed to an airstrike or a stray bullet, can qualify as a gross violation of human rights under the Leahy Law. Yet according to Tim Reeser, no Israeli.

[G]

Defense unit has ever been denied US assistance under the law that we're aware of. It is the only country they're aware of that the law has been so consistently not applied to. Had the Leahy Law from its inception been applied as it was intended, in the west bank and Gaza that the Israeli Defense Forces, who we train often and whose equipment we provide guns, ammunition, bombs, etc. Knew that the Leahy Law was there and could result in that unit being denied a stage. It would help to prevent those types of crimes from occurring.

[F]

Tim, the guy who wrote the law believes the issue isn't with how it's written.

[G]

I think the law is fine. It could be applied to Israel just the way it is to other countries. It's a matter of political will. And I think if you talk to people, even in the State Department or who were in the State Department, they would tell you the same thing, that there was a conscious decision not to apply the law.

[I]

The standard, the Leahy Law standard is credible information. It's an intentionally low standard. Why is that? Well, it's because it's very difficult to get information about gross violations of human rights.

[F]

Charles O' Blaha, who goes by his initials C.O.B. c.O.B. worked at the State Department for 32 years. He was the director of the Office of Security and Human Rights before retiring in 2023. His office vetted about 200,000 cases a year of allegations against U. S backed security forces around the world. In most cases, US Military aid is earmarked for specific foreign units. But some countries, including Ukraine, Egypt, Jordan and Israel, have received money and equipment in a lump sum to distribute as they wish. For three of those countries, the US Is given a list of units that shouldn't receive aid, but not for Israel.

[I]

Israel receives assistance that's untraceable, and that's a problem under the Leahy Law. We can't identify all the units or even very many of them that receive the benefits of foreign military financing.

[F]

Cobb tried to solve this problem. He helped design a new process, the Israel Leahy Vetting Form, a form a convening of staff from the embassy, the State Department and the Department of Defense who would develop a list of ineligible units.

[I]

So the Israel Lehi Vetting Forum was designed to consider credible allegations of gross violations of human rights against Israeli units. The government of Israel, to whom we give billions and billions and billions of dollars, should be responsive to those requests.

[F]

It's extremely rare to get this level of candor from a former State Department official as high up as cop. He says the Vetting Forum has asked Israel about credible allegations against specific units and that the US Accepts Israel's investigations without question. If they respond, both Tim Reaser, who wrote the Leahy Law, and Charles o' Blaha, who helped carry it out at the State Department, have come to a similar question, one that was posed to then Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press briefing back in 2024.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Do we have a double standard? The answer is no.

[F]

The Leahy Law report that I think you were referring to at the outset.

[G]

This is, I think, a good example of a process that is very deliberate.

[F]

That seeks the State Department under Marco Rubio. And the Trump administration has taken a more hardline approach, providing even more aid to Israel.

[Najeeb Amini]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio used emergency.

[F]

Authority to expedite delivery of about $4.

[Najeeb Amini]

Billion of weapons and ammunition.

[F]

And just last month, Secretary Rubio released a plan to reorganize the State Department and drastically reduced the size of the teams that typically oversee the Israel Leahy vetting form. Here he is referring to it during a Cabinet meeting.

[Firoz Sidwa]

We've also, by the way, Mr. President.

[I]

Under your direction, reorganized the Department of State.

[F]

We had offices within offices within offices that didn't even know they existed themselves. Meanwhile, credible reports of human rights violations continue to stream out of Gaza. While reporting this story, we spoke to 20American doctors who served there, including Drs. Syed and Sidwa, who you heard from earlier. Altogether, their observations are eerily similar.

[Sean Worley]

I did take care of a child.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Who was brought in dead on arrival, who was shot once in the left side of the chest, so through and.

[Sean Worley]

Through to the heart.

[F]

And they took me to a room where a mother was holding her baby. And they said this baby was shot, shot when he was 10 days old. I picked him up and I looked on one side of his head and he had a bullet entry wound on the back of his skull that came out on the other side towards the back of his head.

[Najeeb Amini]

So it's not just a random sniper, it's not a rogue soldier that lost their ethics. It's widespread throughout the entire Gaza Strip.

[F]

Those doctors were Tammy Albuquerne, an ER physician from Illinois Yassir Arrain, a neonatologist from Texas, and Mark Perlmutter, a hand surgeon from North Carolina. Both Al Jazeera and Revil sent detailed lists of questions to the Israeli military's press office and the State Department. We also asked for an interview. We wanted to speak with them about a number of cases involving children, including Mira, the four year old treated by Dr. Miracle. But we never heard back. Cobb retired from the State Department in August 2023, a couple of months before the Hamas attack. Now, almost two years later, he still wrestles with his decision to approve a forum that gave the appearance of accountability while actually providing.

[I]

I signed off for two reasons. I believed at the time that the State Department would implement that process in good faith, and I believed at the time in the Israeli military justice system. Both of those beliefs turned out to be incorrect.

[F]

What do you believe now?

[I]

Well, I believe that the highest levels of the State Department and Embassy Jerusalem had no intention of ever finding an Israeli unit had committed gross violations of human rights.

[F]

So you've gone 180 degrees on two major beliefs that are consequential in a lot of people's lives. How does that sit with you?

[Firoz Sidwa]

I.

[Mimi Syed]

It's.

[I]

I don't really know what to say. If I'd objected at the time, I certainly would have been overridden. But my name wouldn't. Wouldn't be on the approval line.

[F]

It is. That's right. So how do you reconcile that?

[I]

I was mistaken. I was wrong.

[F]

Would you accepted as credible if dozens of U.S. doctors said there was a pattern of children being targeted by the Israeli military?

[I]

Yes, and I'd find it credible enough to warrant diplomatic action. But remember the lack of political will at the highest levels of the State Department to impose any consequences on Israel.

[F]

So it doesn't really matter if kids are being targeted by the idf. There's no reason to expect that would.

[I]

Change US Support for Israel in the current environment. I doubt that anyone in a position of authority in the United States government would accept the premise that the IDF is targeting children, even in the face of credible evidence.

[Najeeb Amini]

That report was from Al Jazeera, Faultline's senior correspondent Josh Rushing and producer Amel Ghatafi. You can watch their film Kids Under Fire online. Up next, after getting little traction with policymakers on Capitol Hill, Drs. Mimi Saeed and Firoz Sidwa take what they learned in Gaza to the world star stage.

[Firoz Sidwa]

So just yesterday you were meeting with aids, and now you're meeting the Secretary General. How do you feel about that?

[Mimi Syed]

Yeah, it's a privilege.

[Najeeb Amini]

The doctors head to the un that's next on Reveal from the center for Investigative reporting and PRX. This is Reveal. I'm Al Ledsen. Dr. Syed. And Sidwa's efforts on Capitol Hill came to an end without any assurance that U.S. congress members would act. Next, the doctors head to New York, where Reveals Najeeb Amini joins them for another round of meetings, this time with a more global audience. Here's Najeeb.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Okay, if that wasn't obvious, we're in New York now. All right, we're walking into the Chrysler Building for what is a prep meeting for the rest of the day. Mimi and Firoz are already inside, along with two other American doctors, Thayer Ahmad and Ayesha Khan, who also worked in Gaza. There's coffee and pastries, but it's mostly untouched. As the prep meeting gets underway later that day, they have a series of meetings at the United nations, including one with the Secretary General. Antonio Guterres.

[Mimi Syed]

I think I want to. What I want to know is how do I relate the Mira story in terms of the un? Yeah, you know, is it medical evacuation maybe?

[Sean Worley]

You start with that medical evacuation.

[F]

Aisha, you'll go next.

[Sean Worley]

You'll cover the malnutrition part and as well as the.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The four doctors know what's at stake. This is a rare opportunity to bring attention to the most immediate needs in Gaza before the institution that is perhaps best positioned to bring about change. So just yesterday you were meeting with aides and now you're meeting the Secretary General. How do you feel about that?

[Mimi Syed]

Yeah, it's a privilege.

[Sean Worley]

Again, if it's one more kid out, one more sack of flour in, that's good and it's worthwhile.

[Firoz Sidwa]

They make their way up to the 38th floor of the UN building where they'll meet meet the Secretary General. They're led to a conference room with a long, glossy wooden table. Before the meeting starts, there's a quick photo op.

[F]

Okay.

[Firoz Sidwa]

If you want to look this way.

[F]

Okay, thank you very much.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Then the press gets shooed away.

[Najeeb Amini]

Okay, guys, we have to go.

[G]

The meeting is already starting.

[Firoz Sidwa]

After the meeting with the Secretary General, there's a press conference and it's packed.

[Sean Worley]

The day's going really well. The press conference we just had was great. People are interested, they had good questions, they had good follow ups.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The meeting with the Secretary General.

[Sean Worley]

The meeting with the Secretary General was great. And to see his reaction to the stories we told him about treating children, about really actually just treating humans in general, it wasn't just kids, was very heartening.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The Secretary General shared a post on X thanking the doctors for their work. But perhaps more important, he called for the medical evacuations of 2,500 children out of Gaza.

[Mimi Syed]

Secretary General just tweeted a positive note that he was receptive, that he will see to change. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday when I came from dc.

[Firoz Sidwa]

But a post on X, a tweet, really can only go so far. About a month and a half later, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, effectively ending a two month ceasefire. Since then, some of Gaza's largest remaining hospitals have come under attack. Israel also cut off all food and supplies. The heads of UN agencies like the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Program responded in a joint statement, saying, we are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life. The international community has responded in several ways to Israel's military offensive in Gaza. The UN Security Council, which was set up after World War Two to help prevent atrocities, has passed two resolutions since October 7 calling for a ceasefire. But the political gridlock and veto power of countries like the United States has significantly weakened the Council's impact. There's also the International Criminal Court, or the icc, which focuses on individuals accused of war crimes.

[Najeeb Amini]

A story now developing in the last few minutes.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The International Criminal Court at the Hague.

[Najeeb Amini]

Has issued arrest warrants for the.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The ICC issued arrest warrants for leaders of both Hamas as well as Israel, notably its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. It's alleged that Netanyahu used starvation as a tool of war.

[Najeeb Amini]

Just reading some comments.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The US Under President Trump responded by placing sanctions on the court and the court's chief prosecutor. And then there's the International Court of Justice, the world's court.

[Sean Worley]

That's where the United nations highest court is hearing allegations that Israel is committing genocide with its military campaign in Gaza.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Two months after October 7, South Africa filed an application in the International Court of Justice, or icj, alleging that Israel violated the Genocide Convention that it had agreed to follow when it joined the United Nations.

[H]

The fact that the International Court of Justice is looking at a genocide case against Israel is a very big deal.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Katie Gallagher is a senior staff attorney at the center for Constitutional rights. She spent 25 years specializing in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

[H]

There have been ICJ cases that have resulted in countries being sanctioned. It's also a pretty egregious stamp to have on you as a country to be a genocide committing country.

[Firoz Sidwa]

South Africa's case against Israel marks only the fifth time that a country has been formally accused of violating the Genocide Convention. At the icj. Their case centers around the premise that that Israeli leaders intended to, quote, create conditions of death for Palestinians in Gaza. In their opening testimony, the South African legal team tried to establish the intent of top Israeli officials making dehumanizing comments.

[Najeeb Amini]

The Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, gave a Situation update to the army where he said that as Israel was imposing a complete siege on Gaza, there would be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything would be closed because Israel is fighting human animals.

[Firoz Sidwa]

They also shared a video of Israeli troops echoing that sentiment.

[Najeeb Amini]

Israeli soldiers in Gaza were filmed dancing, chanting and singing in November. May their village ban may Gaza be erased.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Establishing intent is one thing, but how do you go about collecting evidence of genocide when access on the ground is so limited like in Gaza? A big part of the answer doctors.

[H]

At the time we collected statements from doctors. We knew that one of the venues that we would be asking them to put the statements into was the icj.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Katie is one of a handful of people who have collected testimony from American doctors who worked in Gaza, and she had firsthand experience of how invaluable the medical community's point of view was. Weeks and after October 7, she filed a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of violating the Genocide Convention through its support of Israel. A medical resident from Gaza was one of the plaintiffs, and he testified in a hearing from a hospital in Rafah. The judge found the claims of genocide were plausible, but ultimately dismissed the case because of a jurisdiction issue. Despite the outcome for Katie, the details and testimony included in the healthcare workers perspective was one worth following.

[H]

They are very good at capturing detail, relevant detail. Maybe they don't know whether the shirt was green or blue, but what is the age of the victim? Where did the entry wound happen? Did it happen from the front or from the back? Was it at close range?

[Firoz Sidwa]

South Africa's case against Israel is sealed per ICJ rules, so it's hard to get a lot of detail about the case.

[H]

What I can say is that we have shared the statements that we took from some of the US medical professionals with the legal team for South Africa. And what I can confirm is that the legal team found every statement that we shared with them to be credible enough to use in preparing the memorial. So every single medical professional statement went into their memorial.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The memorial is South Africa's legal filing. It contains more than 750 pages of evidence and more than 4,000 pages of supplemental material, making it one of the most extensive cases in decades. We did reach out to the South African legal team about the importance of the doctor's testimony, but they declined to comment because they're not allowed to speak about ongoing cases. I also asked Feroz and Mimi if they gave a statement to legal organizations like the center for Constitutional Rights. They both said they spoke to a number of organizations, but couldn't say more. When it comes to the doctor statements included in the South African legal briefing, it's now in the hands of the International Court of Justice.

[H]

Now, what we can say yet is whether the International Court of Justice itself will find them as compelling as I did, or as we did and as the South African team did.

[Firoz Sidwa]

The court has already made a few provisional rulings, notably ordering Israel to prevent its military from committing genocidal acts to lift its blockade of humanitarian aid and halt its offensive in the southern part of Gaza. Israel's military has continued its operations in southern Gaza. Top leaders say its military offensive is in line with international law. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the ICJ proceedings a disgrace. The charge of genocide leveled against Israel is not only false, it's outrageous and decent people everywhere should reject it. Israel was given a deadline of this summer to submit its defense to the overall claims of breaking the Genocide Convention. But they asked for a six month extension, which the ICJ has granted. The next court date is set for January of 2026.

[H]

Look, international justice doesn't happen on its own. It needs to be pushed. And in this case, the doctors unintentionally, maybe, have become important witnesses to what the victims have suffered.

[Firoz Sidwa]

As Israel's spring offensive continues, there is growing concern from humanitarian groups as well as some Israeli military officials that widespread starvation in Gaza is imminent. President Trump has expressed concern, too.

[Najeeb Amini]

We're looking at Gaza and we got.

[Firoz Sidwa]

To get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving. A lot of people are. There's a lot of bad things going on. The Trump administration has plans to deputize a new international aid organization meant to replace the efforts of the UN that would deliver food and goods to specific parts of Gaza. Top UN officials have called the plan a fig leaf for further violence and displacement, while other humanitarian groups call the idea a weaponization of aid. We invited the IDF and the Israeli Foreign Ministry of Affairs for an interview or to comment on the story. One question we asked was whether they would still allow American doctors to treat patients in Gaza. Neither agency responded. For doctors like Firoz and Mimi, the work has not stopped. Firoz recently came back from Gaza and is already planning to return.

[Sean Worley]

There's an element of professional solidarity, but also, you know, again, of, of. Of just general solidarity. I'm an American and I'm destroying your country. So this is the only way that I know to, to provide reparations. I don't think in my lifetime, my government will ever do it. And so I can, I can try this way.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Mimi also plans to return for what would be her third trip. I ask her, given all that she's been through, how she feels about her journey.

[Mimi Syed]

Like an idiot.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Like what?

[Mimi Syed]

Like an idiot.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Why is that?

[Mimi Syed]

Like, I keep failing and nothing. I just keep going back at it. I don't know.

[Firoz Sidwa]

Failing in what sense?

[Mimi Syed]

I have not been able to accomplish any change for the people of Gaza. It feels like everything I do is moot. I mean, it has literally started over again, and our government is right behind it, proudly and smugly, you know, saying, yes, we stand by Israel. And it is absolutely discouraging. And I don't know how else to describe that?

[Firoz Sidwa]

And yet you have plans to go back.

[Mimi Syed]

That's all I can do. I can go back. I can be there in solidarity. And that's the least I can do.

[Najeeb Amini]

It's been reported that more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive since October 7th. In response to mounting international pressure, Israel has recently announced it will allow minimal aid back into Gaza for the first time since March. Israel has also launched a new military military operation intended to take full control of Gaza. Countries like Britain, France and Canada have issued a rare public reprimand in response to the military escalation. The US Publicly has continued its support Our lead producer for this week's show is Najeeb Bhamini. Lu Okowski edited the show. Our partners from Al Jazeera Fault lines include include Leila Al Adayan, Josh Rushing, Amel Ghatafi, Singhly Agnu, Adrian Hospel, Youssef Elsefi and Meher Sher. You can find a link to their documentary Kids Under Fire on our website. Also special thanks to Sophie Hurwitz and Jacob Rosenberg for their help on this story. Serena Lynn, Nikki Frick and Kim Frida are our fact checkers. Legal review by Victoria Baranetsky our production manager Zulema Cobb. Score and sound design by Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda that help this week from Claire Mullen. Our interim executive producers are Taki Telenides and Bret Myers. Our theme music is by Camerado Lightning. Support for reveals provided by the Riva and David Logan foundation, the John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, the park foundation, the Schmidt Family foundation and and the Hellman Foundation. Support for reveal is also provided by you our listeners. We are a co production of the center for Investigative Reporting in prx. I'm Al Letson and remember there is always more to the story.

[Firoz Sidwa]

From PRX.