On the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Dr. Elijaz Pilav, who witnessed it, emphasized that his suffering is far from over, pointing to the striking similarities between what happened in Srebrenica and what Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing today.
Pilav, who worked in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica during the 1995 genocide, explained that he struggled daily to save new lives over the course of a war that lasted more than three years, adding that death was "lurking everywhere."
He pointed out that the international community's silence is repeated in the face of a new genocide being committed against innocent Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Pilav said he voluntarily decided to remain in Srebrenica in 1992, at the start of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a young, inexperienced doctor, noting that his soul and mind still bear the scars of the mass killings, wounds, and suffering that began against Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in 1992.
He explained that he performed all of his surgeries in Srebrenica despite a lack of experience and resources, citing a shortage of medicines. However, he and his team were able to save many lives at a field hospital in the area.
He stressed that they were struggling for survival under difficult circumstances, noting that Srebrenica, which had been under UN protection in 1995, had been left in the hands of criminals.
Pilav added that the Serbian army committed genocide in front of the international community's eyes. He explained that he performed surgery on his friends and relatives, and that after a mortar attack, more than 30 wounded people arrived at the hospital. However, he was unable to help everyone at once and called for immediate assistance. With the help of volunteer teams, he was able to save most of the wounded.
He noted that the fall of Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, forced some 15,000 people to take the "death route" through the forests to reach the safe zone, describing the six days and six nights he lived through as indescribable hell, from which he miraculously survived.
Pilav confirmed that he continued his medical duties along the jungle path, which was riddled with booby traps, bombs, poison gas, and attacks, emphasizing that the fighting continued until the last moment to rescue the wounded.
Pilav concluded by saying that Srebrenica remains a terrifying place 30 years after the genocide, noting that the massacre is commemorated only on July 11 of each year, while the rest of the year is forgotten.
