WATERMELON PICTURES MOURNS THE KILLING OF PALESTINIAN SURGEON DR. RIZK ABU SHAAIRA FEATURED IN AMERICAN DOCTOR

News Reports Say Doctor was Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza

NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Watermelon Pictures is appalled and devastated by the reported killing of Palestinian surgeon Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira, who appears in the documentary AMERICAN DOCTOR, directed by Poh Si Teng and that is currently in release through Watermelon Pictures. According to Reuters and other news services, Dr. Abu Shaaira was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.. Dr. Mohammed Odainy, another Palestinian surgeon featured in AMERICAN DOCTOR, was also critically injured in the attack and is fighting for his life. Both physicians worked at Nasser Medical Complex, providing lifesaving care.

Watermelon Pictures unequivocally condemns this attack and the continued pattern of violence against Gaza's healthcare workers, patients and medical facilities. Hospitals must never be treated as battlefields, and medical professionals must be able to carry out their lifesaving work without fear of being killed. International humanitarian law provides special protections for hospitals, medical personnel and patients. Deliberate attacks against protected medical facilities and personnel are prohibited and may constitute war crimes. The repeated devastation of Gaza's healthcare system demands urgent international attention and accountability.

Hamza Ali, Co-Founder of Watermelon Pictures, stated, "We are horrified and heartbroken by the killing of Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira. This is yet another devastating example of the continued violence against Gaza's medical community. Hospitals are places of healing, not targets of war. We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and call for accountability and an end to the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system."

Poh Si Teng, director of AMERICAN DOCTOR, added, "Dr. Abu Shaaira was among the extraordinary medical professionals whose courage and humanity we sought to honor through AMERICAN DOCTOR. His death is devastating and a painful reminder that the crisis documented in our film continues. Those who dedicate their lives to saving others deserve protection, not violence."

Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a physician featured in AMERICAN DOCTOR who worked alongside Dr. Abu Shaaira, said, "Operating with another surgeon is an intimate partnership. You learn their cadence, their strengths and weaknesses, and even glimpse their confidences and fears. Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira and I performed a complex surgery on a man with shrapnel injuries, while Dr. Mohammed Odainy and I operated on a teenager after an American-made bomb tore a hole in his abdominal aorta. Remarkably, the child lived. These two men were my friends, colleagues and an inspiration. Now Dr. Rizk is dead and Dr. Mohammed is fighting for his life. It was an unforgivable crime."

Directed by Poh Si Teng, AMERICAN DOCTOR follows three American physicians—Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa—who travel to Gaza to provide lifesaving medical care and return home determined to bear witness to the humanitarian catastrophe they encountered. The documentary, currently in release through Watermelon Pictures, highlights the extraordinary courage of medical professionals working under siege and the urgent need to protect those who dedicate their lives to saving others.

Watermelon Pictures extends its deepest condolences to Dr. Abu Shaaira's family, friends, colleagues and the countless patients whose lives he touched. His loss is a tragedy, and his dedication to humanity must not be forgotten.

SOURCE Watermelon Pictures