Mission and Commitment – Doctor couples during war/ Ilana Stutland for Maariv 5.3.2026

Dr. Hasuna Elgamal, 34, a doctor at the Shamir Medical Center Delivery room is married to Dr. Baker Elgamal, 34, a specialist in internal medicine and gastroenterology. The two live in Lod and have two sons: a five-year-old and a ten-month-old. She works in the delivery room every day and does 26-hour shifts. He also works full-time at the hospital and, in addition, works at community clinics.

The state of war, they say, has greatly affected their family life.

“We had to arrange help from our families. The grandparents on both sides help, and my sister helps too,” says Dr. Hasuna Elgamal. “It started with conversations with our older son. We explained to him the meaning of our work and the importance of our presence at the hospital. We told him that for the near future he would be staying more with his grandparents, who have a protected room, and that they would take care of him as if we were there. When there’s a siren he gets scared and immediately runs to the protected room, but once he’s close to people he knows, he copes very well. Our work, even without the war, is intense and demanding. We also get help from our parents during normal times. We receive full support from our families. That’s not something to take for granted, not everyone has that. And during the war, thank God, our parents follow the Home Front Command instructions and make sure to leave the protected room only after they receive permission.”

“But it’s still difficult,” Elgamal adds. “When you’re at work and you hear the siren while the kids are far away, you need to call and make sure they went into the protected room. In that situation there’s also a sense of frustration, why am I not with my children? There was a time when, during a siren, our older son called and asked, ‘Dad, when are you coming home?’ And then that thought crosses your mind.”

The couple leaves home at 6:30 a.m., drives the children to their parents, and continues to work.

“And we pray that there won’t be sirens on the way,” Elgamal remarks. “We hope the war won’t last long, but if it does, our parents are part of the professional path we chose.”