In December 2025, medical students at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem launched SurgiCore, the first Palestinian group dedicated to surgery. The group received official recognition from the university’s Faculty of Medicine and from the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Al-Quds University medical student Mahmoud Amro founded SurgiCore. He is also currently the group’s president. SurgiCore aims to enhance academic surgical education, equip medical students with essential practical surgical skills, and promote scientific research across surgical specialties. It also seeks to deepen students’ passion for the field of surgery and their connection to faculty members and to Jerusalem as a nurturing environment. Additionally, SurgiCore aims to serve as a guiding beacon for all those wishing to keep pace with the continuous advances in surgery.

To learn more about the group’s establishment and Al-Quds University’s support for it, Jerusalem Story spoke with Amro and Dr. Hani Abdeen, Al-Quds University’s dean of the Faculty of Medicine, on February 20, 2026.

Before discussing SurgiCore, Amro briefly introduced himself. He was born in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank and then lived in Berlin, Germany, for five years before his father decided to return to Palestine and settle in Ramallah.

After graduating from high school with excellence, Amro decided to pursue a career in medicine and dedicate the rest of his life to it, “because this specialty holds a high academic and social standing, and those who study it can transform pain and suffering into compassion and healing,”1 he said. “The Faculty of Human Medicine at Al-Quds University was a true incubator for my dream that medicine would refine and shape my character so that I, in turn, could contribute something to medicine,” he added. “The university also helped me continually express my leadership abilities in student and scientific work, and I am now a fifth-year medical student.”

When asked how SurgiCore was formed, Amro said it developed from an idea that he shared with his fellow medical students based on their firm belief that they could create change and establish a new approach to academic surgical education for medical students at Al-Quds University.

“We found that surgical training was largely insufficient in giving general surgery the attention it deserves and in enabling students to fully understand it and appreciate its academic rigor,” he said. “We searched extensively until we found a guide from the American College of Surgeons outlining how to establish a surgical interest group on solid foundations, and from there, we began working collectively to bring the group to life.”

The students realized that they needed to obtain accreditation for their group from the university. Amro explained that official recognition required caution and wisdom, because they were introducing a fresh idea with a new structure. Thus, they relied primarily on diplomatic dialogue and were cautious to respect the university’s constitution and regulations so that their academic vision would align with the university’s long history and promising future.

Recognition of the group by the Faculty of Human Medicine, the Student Affairs Deanship, and the Scientific Research Deanship—along with the endorsement of the university’s president—was, according to Amro, the key that enabled them to secure recognition from the ACS.

“We asked the association to list the group and its founders among the surgical interest groups after adding a category for Palestine for the first time in history, making it the first and only surgical group to receive American recognition,” Amro said.

Jerusalem Story also asked Amro about the group’s planned activities.

The group’s organizers also seek to keep pace with scientific developments in surgery and share their achievements, plans, and vision through community and public activities so that everyone can follow the group’s progress.

As for the skills they aim to develop among the group’s members, Amro explained that they aspire to shape and help develop future surgeons while they are still medical students. “At SurgiCore, we build the surgeon as a leader characterized by resilience and strength, balanced with humanity and compassion,” he said. “And then comes scientific excellence, technical skills, distinguished research, and high-level professional relationships.”

Since the group was founded by a team of medical students at Al-Quds University, Jerusalem Story asked Amro: How will you ensure that the initiative continues after the founders graduate? He revealed that the founders have established solid operational foundations, a guiding constitution with a permanent archiving of every detail, a clear description for every position in the organizational structure, and a legacy that can be passed on.

“Practically speaking, we will continue to serve as mentors and overseers of SurgiCore’s future development by activating two councils to sustain the idea: the SurgiCore Alumni Council and the Honorary Council of Palestinian Surgeons to ensure the continuity of both the group’s presence and its vision,” Amro shared.

Amro chose to lead this special initiative because he is drawn to the surgeon’s role as it embodies a sense of responsibility and resilience, and it combines the precision of the scalpel with a compassionate heart to achieve one goal: relieve the pain of illness when medicine alone is not enough. He also wanted to channel his leadership experience and aspirations into inspiring others who are entering the medical field and share the same passion and vision. “I chose to lead this initiative in the hope of leaving behind a legacy for the surgeons of tomorrow and for our beloved Jerusalem,” he said.

As for whether first-year medical students can join the group and benefit from its activities, Amro explained that preclinical students can participate in activities that are specifically designed and tailored to their level, since their exposure to and interaction with the clinical medical and surgical environment is limited. Therefore, the responsibility to guide them is even greater, as this will form the foundational stone for their future experiences.

He concluded his remarks to Jerusalem Story by outlining SurgiCore’s long-term vision and whether it may become a national platform that includes students from other universities. He revealed that their vision is based on continuity and expansion, and they hope the group will become a community that brings together Palestinian university students, Palestinian surgeons, and academics everywhere.

“We will make SurgiCore a forum that advances the excellence of the emerging Palestinian surgeon—both specialist and practitioner. Our vision extends across all of Palestine, and in the future, to doctors across the Arab world and globally,” he shared. “SurgiCore is merely a vessel that embodies an idea, and ideas live, grow, and spread their values through the people who carry them.”

Following an inspirational conversation with Amro, Jerusalem Story then spoke with Dr. Abdeen about the significance of a Palestinian student group obtaining recognition from both the university and the ACS, and what this adds to the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Quds University.

Dr. Abdeen explained that the group received approval due to the students’ immense passion, their interest in learning about surgery, and the essential surgical skills that are required of any medical graduate.

Dr. Abdeen then addressed how the group aligns with the faculty’s vision for developing medical education, especially in surgery, emphasizing the importance of supporting professional initiatives. He explained that establishing a student surgical group that encourages surgery as a future career path benefits students and aligns with the Faculty of Medicine’s mission to graduate medical professionals who meet the needs of the local community.

“I believe that Palestine suffers from a shortage in surgical subspecialties; many students hesitate to choose this career path due to the ambiguity and lack of organization in training within these fields,”2 he told Jerusalem Story. “By establishing this group, we hope to overcome these misconceptions through a dedicated and aware group like SurgiCore.”

Addressing the challenges facing surgical education in Palestine today, Dr. Abdeen explained that surgical training is well developed in traditional general surgery but lacks modern approaches, such as minimally invasive surgical techniques and robotics.

“When we look at the surgical subspecialties needed by our Palestinian health-care system, the shortage is enormous,” he said. “We lack pediatric, oncology, vascular, and organ transplantation surgeons, as well as surgeons in head and neck, ophthalmology and its subspecialties, urology, thoracic, advanced gynecology, plastic surgery, and bariatric surgery.”

As for any potential plans to integrate SurgiCore’s activities into the academic curriculum or formal clinical training, Dr. Abdeen noted that the faculty’s curriculum is updated every five years. If the program proves beneficial and meets international accreditation standards, he does not see a problem in integrating the proposed ideas into the curriculum “as the goal is to develop knowledge and training methodology as much as possible.”

Dr. Abdeen believes that scientific surgical research is essential for any future physician, as academic advancement and promotion heavily depend on research output. He hopes that SurgiCore will promote research as a core pillar in training and in assessing community needs across surgical fields.

Regarding the extent to which surgery in Palestine suffers from shortages in personnel or resources, and how students can be part of the solution, Dr. Abdeen stressed the need to recognize that medicine today knows no borders. Therefore, “we should engage with regional and international bodies in order to keep up with the latest developments and overcome the isolation we’re experiencing,” he said.

This can be achieved by encouraging partnerships at all levels; local, regional, and international. SurgiCore could serve as a cornerstone for building communication bridges in surgical research and training.

Before concluding, Jerusalem Story asked Dr. Abdeen for a message to students interested in surgery despite local challenges. He shared that surgery requires early hands-on training and proper guidance to overcome misconceptions about lifestyle and training intensity. Surgery as a specialty brings rapid, tangible, and positive changes to patients’ lives, and it combines scientific knowledge, technical skills, and artistic precision.

“As dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Quds University, I encourage students to participate in student surgical groups such as SurgiCore, which provide workshops, lectures, and networking opportunities,” he said.

“It is important for students to meet a diverse range of surgeons, particularly to challenge stereotypes and to realize that a sustainable, balanced, and fulfilling life in surgery is possible.”