“The theater’s job is to peel away stereotypes. We don’t know the story of Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, we only know its end. We have no idea what it’s like living 80 kilometers from Tel Aviv,” says Shay Pitowski, director of the play I Shall Not Hate currently being staged by Habima.

The play is based on the autobiography of Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, the Gaza doctor whose three daughters were killed by a stray shell fired by the IDF during Operation Cast Lead [2009]. Abu al-Aish, known as “the doctor from Gaza,” worked for years as a gynecologist in Israel. Seconds after the shell hit his house he called journalist Shlomi Eldar at Israel’s Channel 10 news studio. Eldar hit the speaker button on his cell phone and broadcast live the agony of the man whose three daughters lay dead on the floor in front of his eyes. His cries of anguish, in Hebrew, resonated in Israel and around the world. Twenty-four hours later a cease-fire was reached and the operation was brought to an end.

But despite the great tragedy that befell him, Dr. Abu al-Aish refused to give in to hate. The man who led his whole life between two worlds — one foot here, the other there — continued to see both sides. Despite the horrible tragedy that befell him, he continued to talk peace. At a time when so many people sanctified death, the gynecologist who helped so many women give life continued to sanctify life. He went to Canada and two years ago published an autobiography titled I Shall Not Hate, which became an international best-seller and was also published in Hebrew. Now the unbelievable story is being told as a one-man show by Habima, Israel’s national theater. The complex and riveting figure of Abu al-Aish is being portrayed by the noted actor Ghassan Abbas, a native and resident of the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. He stands alone on stage for an hour as the doctor and father who loses three of his daughters and tells a tale that no playwright could have invented — only reality could.

“Usually, actors say we are actors. We are playing a role,” Abbas says. “I am not playing a role. I am playing this role because it says things I want to say. I have played many roles in my life, but this one is a step up because of the subject.” Abbas is an actor with a tremendous presence. On stage he radiates self control and mastery, his deep voice and wonderful diction slicing through the small space where the play is being staged. In life he is a different man: funny, angry, says what he feels. “It’s a complex figure,” he explains. “It’s a challenge for me, mostly because the man is far from me. We are totally different. His self control, the way he thinks, as a person it’s hard for me to understand him.” Work on the play included reading his book and meetings with people who know Dr. Abu al-Aish, but not with the man himself. “We spoke on the phone a few times, but short conversations. I have never met him or had the chance to speak to him about those moments,” says Abbas. “He hasn’t seen the show yet. We talked about getting together in Canada at some point. I hope it happens.”