“There is no P in the PTSD of Palestinians”

The image of Dr Ghassan al Sittah holding a news conference, surrounded by the bodies of lifeless Palestinians, was the first time I learnt of him. 

A British-Palestinian Dr, flying under the radar from his reconstruction surgery clinic in London, with several trips to treat patients in Gaza since the First Intifada in 1989 - was how he seemingly preferred to live his life. 

Uncomfortable with being called a hero, A State of Passion is a feature-length documentary film by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi that explores how Dr Ghassan, thrust into the spotlight, continues his fight for justice.

The documentary features harrowing images of gorged bodies of children, blood smeared hospital floors, families screaming at the loss of loved ones. We learn of the cemetery of amputated limbs. We see hospital infrastructure systematically dismantled and destroyed. We see there is no time for health workers to sleep. Through Dr Ghassan’s eyes, we witness the deliberate drowning of Gaza’s medical system.

In one voice note to his family, he says: “There is no P in the PTSD”—because the trauma Gazans endure is not post; it is ongoing, ferocious, and unrelenting.

And yet, when Dr Ghassan returns to Europe, his testimony is questioned. Despite extensive footage, medical evidence, and lived experience, he becomes the target of media scepticism. “They are desperate to silence the truth,” he says. We watch as television anchors attempt to undermine his medical authority. But A State of Passion resists this framing: instead, it documents his clarity, his conviction, and his moral consistency. His perseverance is inseparable from his existence.

What distinguishes this documentary is not only its political urgency, but its gentle access into the private spaces of a public figure. Mansour’s camera is invited in, not as an observer but as a trusted guest. He’s filmed walking down the stairs in his pyjamas, preparing packed lunches for his three children on cold, dark London mornings. These quiet, domestic moments are treated with the same weight as the scenes from the operating theatre or the news conference.

We follow him to his mother’s home in Amman, arriving directly from Gaza. We join him in Kuwait as he traces memory landmarks from his childhood. Through these vignettes, a layered portrait emerges—of a man shaped not just by war, but by family, faith, migration, and memory.

We meet his children, uncle, mother, wife, and mentor. We are brought into a world where steadfastness is not spectacle, but survival. Where the pursuit of justice is not an act of defiance, but a way of life.

By Yasmeen Soudani

A State of Passion is showing at HPPH on Sat 21 Jun at 15:00 as part of SAFAR Film Festival. You can book tickets here.

About Yasmeen Soudani

Yasmeen Soudani is a sound artist, radio host and cultural producer. She is the founder of souqsounds, a multifaceted platform that brings people together through events, film screenings, workshops, talks, compilation albums, and radio shows. Souqsounds also includes a podcast and radio show, inviting Arab creatives from around the world to discuss their work.