ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — In Michigan, thousands worry and pray for their loved ones caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war. This includes a local doctor who says he has now lost 20 relatives in the airstrikes and bombings in Palestine.
Dr. Emad Shehada's parents are both from Palestine. In the late 1960s, they were forced to move due to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza region. Shehada was born in Kuwait and moved around until he settled down in Syria. He moved to the United States in the early 2000s to continue his medical education at Wayne State University.
Today, he's a pulmonologist with a practice in Rochester Hills. He was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping save lives. However, he's heartbroken that he cannot save the lives of his family members caught in the Israel-Hamas war.
“It’s been horrible," he said. "A hell of a month. I mean, it’s a nightmare that does not want to end.”
While his parents and sister now live in the United States, his younger sister remains in Palestine. They used to stay in touch over the phone during the conflict, but Shehada says his heart cannot take her broken and tear-filled voice anymore and now, they only communicate through text message.
When asked how his sister is holding up, Shehada simply stated, "she's alive."
Through his sisters and other family and friends, he has learned that 20 of his relatives have perished in bombings and airstrikes since the conflict broke out Oct. 7.
“When you hear about these conflicts, your heart is broken for all these people that they die. But when it hits somebody you know, it’s totally different," Shehada said.
Among those family members who died are cousins, second cousins and their children.
"This is Mayar. She was 19 years old. She was pregnant when she died," Shehada said while looking through family photos.
The most recent airstrike just weeks ago shook Shehada the most.
"The house next to my sister was struck by a missile where I had 12 relatives living there," he said. "That house was only 10 meters from my sister's house."
Shehada's mission now is to keep his family member’s names alive and highlight the horrors happening in the Middle East.
“It gives us some strength that we’re not alone in this," Shehada said. "We have to speak up.”
Shehada worries that every time he checks his phone, it will be another notification about a relative who died. He continues his work as a pulmonologist because he says he owes it to his patients and it helps distract him from the violence affecting his family.
