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Last updated: 24 february, 2011 - 15:04 GMT

"I shall not hate"

Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish

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Palestinian doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish has vowed not to hate despite suffering appalling losses at the hands of others.

The doctor from Gaza has always used medicine to bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians, and continues to do so despite losing three daughters under Israeli tank fire.

An internationally trained fertility expert, he helped childless couples in both Gaza and Israel to have babies.

During the Second Intifada in Gaza, he was the only Palestinian doctor working in one of Israel's busiest maternity units, and each week he would cross the checkpoints that separated his home in the Gaza Strip from Israel.

A few people from his community thought he was a traitor, though most admired his professionalism, his humanity and his determination to bridge the increasingly bitter Israeli-Palestinian divide.

But the conflict came to his own doorstep on 16 January 2009 when Israeli tank shells killed three of his daughters and a niece.

Astonishingly, however, Izzeldin did not become embittered, nor did he seek revenge.

Instead, he convinced himself that his girls' deaths must not be in vain and slowly turned his family tragedy into a force for peace - so much so that Izzeldin has won many humanitarian awards and has even been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize.

Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish spoke to Outlook's Lucy Ash and described his extraordinary personal journey.

First broadcast on Thursday 24 February 2011

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