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Context: A team of British surgeons has carried out Gaza's first organ transplants for a long-term plan to train local medical staff to perform the operations. 

Two patients underwent kidney transplants at the Shifa, Gaza's biggest public hospital. The operations were conducted a fortnight ago by a volunteer medical team from the Royal Liverpool hospital. 

Ziad Matouk, 42, was born with one kidney and was diagnosed with renal failure several years ago. Matouk, whose wife donated one of her kidneys, hopes to return to his job within six months. The couple had sought a transplant in Cairo, but were rejected as unsuitable at a state hospital and could not afford the fee at a private hospital. "We were desperate," said Matouk. 

The UK-Gaza link-up began about a year ago after Abdelkader Hammad, a doctor at the Royal Liverpool hospital, was contacted by an anaesthetist at the Shifa, who outlined the difficulties the Gaza hospital was facing with dialysis . The Shifa is forced to rely on generators because of power cuts; spare parts for its ageing dialysis machines have been difficult to import; and supplies of consumables are often scarce. After an exploratory trip last April, Hammad---whose family is Palestinian---and three colleagues from Liverpool arrived in Gaza via Egypt last month, bringing specialist equipment. Two patients were selected for surgery. The first, Mohammed Duhair, 42, received a kidney donated by his younger brother in a six-hour operation. Two days later, Matouk received a transplant after his wife, Nadia, 36, was found to be a good match. The surgeon was carried out by the British team, assisted by doctors and nurses from the Shifa. "We are very satisfied with the results," said Sobbi Skaik, head of surgery at the Gaza hospital. 

Skaik hopes that Gaza medical teams will eventually carry out kidney transplants independently, and that other organ transplants may follow. The Shifa is working with the Gaza ministry of health on a plan to train its doctors, surgeons, nursing staff and laboratory technicians in transplant surgery at the Royal Liverpool. "Funding is a problem," said Hammad. "In the meantime we'll go back as volunteers to Gaza for the next couple of years to do more transplants." The Liverpool team's next visit is scheduled for May.
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What is Adbelkader Hammad's job?
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doctor
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Where does he work?
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at the Royal Liverpool hospital
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Where is his family from?
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Palestine
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What did he and other doctors do for the first time?
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They carried out Gaza's first organ transplants
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On how many people?
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Two
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What organs did they transplant?
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kidneys
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Were they donated by strangers or family?
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family
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What were the names of the patients?
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Mohammed Duhair and Ziad Matouk
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How long did Mohammed's surgery take?
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six hours
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Was it successful?
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yes
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What does Skaik hope?
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that Gaza medical teams do independent kidney transplants, and possibly other organs
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What is an issue that complicates this?
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Funding
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What will they do in the meantime?
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They will go back as volunteers to Gaza to do more transplants
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When will they go next?
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May
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When were the operations done?
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a fortnight ago
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How long does Ziad expect to be off from work?
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less than six months
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How old is he?
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42
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What about the other patient?
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42
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How old is Ziad's wife?
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36
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Was she a match?
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yes