The Documentary ‘American Doctor’ Reveals Gaza’s Healthcare Crisis

The documentary American Doctor offers a detailed view of Gaza’s healthcare challenges amidst ongoing conflict. Premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the film captures the experiences of three American surgeons treating injured Palestinians. The director, Poh Si Teng, follows surgeons Mark Perlmutter, Thaer Ahmad, and Feroze Sidhwa on their missions to this war-torn region and documents their attempts to raise awareness back home.

American Doctor explores the dire conditions faced by both American and Palestinian medical staff in Gaza. Among these challenges are bombardments, displacement, and severe shortages of food and medicine. Teng also highlights the restricted access for international journalists to enter Gaza and report independently during the conflict.

The documentary starts with a poignant discussion between Teng and surgeon Mark Perlmutter at his home in North Carolina. Perlmutter, an orthopedic surgeon, addresses the ethical dilemmas surrounding the portrayal of graphic images. This exchange sets a serious tone for the rest of the film.

“There’s always such a delicate balance,” Teng explained. “You show too much and it’s gratuitous. You show too little, and it’s not real, and it’s a disservice and a huge disrespect for those who have passed on and the surviving family members.”

In the film, Ahmad shares his experiences in Gaza, where medical resources are severely limited. “Every single day, you are dealing with what we call mass casualty events,” Ahmad explained. “Dozens of people come in at once, and we lack the resources to treat them due to the blockade and siege.” Perlmutter added that most of his patients were children, a reflection of Gaza’s young population. He described the difficulty of performing amputations without anesthesia and emphasized the deliberate scarcity of medical supplies due to Israeli government policies.

Teng filmed the American doctors in various locations outside Gaza, including their efforts to communicate their experiences to the media and U.S. lawmakers. She emphasized the importance of their testimonies, given the significant U.S. military support to Israel.

Airing in select U.S. cities, American Doctor brings attention to the humanitarian crises in Gaza. The documentary’s digital release was produced by Majd Al-Waheidi.