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ABC News
14-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
What this Australian doctor saw in Gaza was 'apocalyptic'. But that will not stop him going back
The memories of "starving children" with horrific injuries still haunt emergency doctor Mohammed Mustafa. Warning: This story contains graphic details of dead bodies and animals. Dr Mustafa, known as Dr Mo, recently returned from his second volunteer medical mission to Gaza and the 35-year-old is considering a third. He said the only way to describe the situation inside Gaza was "apocalyptic". "You see dogs eating people in the streets, dead bodies in the streets, [dogs] pulling blown up arms out of rubble, or a leg and running away with it," he told the ABC. "There's a saying here, 'The only things that are not hungry in Gaza are the dogs', because they have a lot of people to feed on." Born to a Palestinian refugee family, Dr Mo has had time to reflect on his experience. Arriving just as a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel collapsed in March this year, Dr Mo spent three weeks volunteering in north Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. He said Al-Ahil Hospital was one of the last fully functional hospitals standing in Gaza but was severely lacking in medical supplies, including proper sanitisation and adequate anaesthesia. Israel has bombed it including in April, in what their military said was targeting a Hamas "command and control centre" — a claim denied by the group. Dr Mo said there were days when hospital staff only had one portion of rice or lentils to eat for the entire day. He'd stop eating altogether on some days to save and ration food for those in greater need. "I just wanted to work. I just wanted to be there to help. It wasn't a big issue to me whether I was full or not," he said. He said he was one of the lucky ones, when many of the people, including children, he saw were severely malnourished or "starving". In May in the lead-up to Israel deciding to allow a "basic amount of food" into Gaza , the United Nations World Food Programme warned populations across the Strip were at risk of famine. The World Health Organization also reported in May that the "entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the world's worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time". "We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Dr Mo pursued his medical training across Britain and Australia, saying he was driven by his commitment to human rights. In 2024 and 2025, he served in Gaza's Nasser and European hospitals, with Rahma Worldwide providing critical emergency care amid escalating violence. But it was his commitment to frontline care that drew him back to Gaza again, this time with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association. His raw, live social media videos from inside emergency departments brought the devastation of the conflict to his tens of thousands of followers worldwide. "I documented my journey when I was in Gaza, and I was told that I wasn't allowed to do that, but I did it anyway because I just felt like it was a moral obligation," he said. Since he left Gaza, he's been busy. He was recently on the Freedom Flotilla with 12 activists, including Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, just before the yacht set sail for Gaza to deliver aid, including baby formula, food, and medical supplies. "They were in tears, they were crying, they were scared. They were hugging their families goodbye. It was real," he told ABC's News Breakfast. Since then, Israeli forces intercepted the yacht and detained the activists. Ms Thunberg was then deported to her home country, Sweden, and six other crew members were also deported shortly after. Two French nationals remain in Israeli custody awaiting deportation on Friday, according to Adalah, a nonprofit legal association in Israel. Dr Mo said he had lost sleep, worried for their safety. He's also been making his case to Australian officials to back a children's hospital that would be led by governments, and non-government organisations. Dr Mo said the mobile children's hospital could look like an already set-up prototype in Jordan, which would include medical vans, with ICU units, pathology labs, run by solar power. He said it would be "historic" for the region and would help the Australian government step in and do something about the situation in Gaza. "But I need people to help me to save those lives." The hospital would only employ staff vetted by NGOs He said this would prevent suspicion of corruption or accusations that the hospital would be hiding weapons for Hamas — a claim often made by the Israeli military. Dr Mo said he's already met with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other MPs to discuss the plans, who he said were "supportive" of the initiative. During a recent press conference, Ms Wong said she met with Dr Mo and said they, "talked at length" about the situation in Gaza. On Friday, Ms Wong announced Australia will send a further $10 million in urgent medical and nutrition supplies to Gaza to address the humanitarian crisis. "We need a new approach in Gaza. Governments need to get involved and need to work with NGOs to provide equipment [to hospitals], safety, and protection," he said. "We can no longer rely on the IDF or Israel's word to protect aid workers and we can't rely on them to allow aid in." Israel's Ministry of Defense was contacted for comment. Dr Mo described seeing "beyond catastrophic" wounds and injuries from bombing. "I'm seeing these mass casualty events as they arrive, we're bringing people up to the surgery, those that have stayed alive," he said. Sometimes he had to decide whether to treat an injured person on their last breath or a severely wounded person who may survive. Other times, the decision was already made for him. "If we managed to stabilise a patient in the ED, the amount of work that they would need in the operating room and intensive care, we just don't have the capacity," he said. "Sometimes, [I think] it's better if they died than to live with those horrific injuries." He will never forget the children that he had to let succumb to their severe injuries. "There's a lot that stays with you. It's hard because when you talk about it, you rethink the experience," he said. "It hit me the other day when I heard a loud bang. I don't know whether it was someone knocking over the bins or someone throwing a rock at a window, but it really, really startled me and it gave me a bit of a panic." The United Kingdom, France, Canada and other Western allies have threatened sanctions against Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to allow "minimal" humanitarian aid into Gaza. While Australia has not signed up to the joint threat, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Israel's actions as "completely unacceptable". "It is outrageous that there is a blockade of food and supplies to people who are in need in Gaza," Mr Albanese said. "People are starving. The idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage." Dr Mo welcomed the shift in the narrative, saying it "doesn't become self-defence anymore" when children were starving and the United Nations estimates about 70 per cent of structures have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza. Israel launched its offensive on Gaza after Hamas crossed its border on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to the Strip, according to Israeli authorities. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates 55,104 Palestinians have been killed and 127,394 have been injured since the Israel-Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. "If we can give Israeli hostages the humanity and grace that they deserve, then surely we should be giving [Gaza's] children the exact same.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Three journalists among five killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
Five people have been killed in an Israeli strike on al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, according to the Anglican Church, which operates Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem said three journalists, a father escorting his son to surgery, and another person died on Thursday morning when the hospital's compound was condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the attack, which also injured 30 bystanders, including four hospital staff. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate accused Israel of a "full-fledged war crime".The Israeli military said it "precisely struck" a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighter operating from a command centre inside the hospital's yard. It came on the same day as more than 130 global news and press freedom organisations - including the BBC - called for international media to be given immediate access to Gaza and Palestinian journalists to be given full protection."For 20 months, the Israeli authorities have refused to grant journalists outside of Gaza independent access to the Palestinian territory - a situation that is without precedent in modern warfare," they wrote in a letter co-ordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders."Local journalists, those best positioned to tell the truth, face displacement and starvation. To date, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military. Many more have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs: bearing witness. This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information."There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or government. But they have previously denied that Israeli forces have targeted journalists. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate said the Israeli strike on al-Ahli hospital's compound directly targeted a media footage showed medics and other people rushing to help casualties lying on the ground underneath a tree in a yard and carrying at least four of them into a medical tent."The Israeli drone suddenly attacked these colleagues," Palestinian journalist Mohammed Ahmed told Reuters news agency at the scene. "Three of them [were] martyred, in addition to a number of martyrs among passersby.""The Israeli occupation forces are increasing their attacks on us as journalists, trying to prevent us from doing our work," he journalists' syndicate identified the three dead journalists as Ismail Badah, a cameraman for the PIJ-affiliated Palestine Today TV channel, Soliman Hajaj, a Palestine Today editor, and Samir al-Refai of the Shams News four journalists were injured, two of whom - Palestine Today correspondent Imad Daloul and Ahmed Qalja, a cameraman for Qatar-based Al-Araby TV - were in a critical condition, it Israeli military said in a statement that it "precisely struck an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was operating in a command-and-control centre" in the yard of the hospital. It did not name the target or provide any military also accused armed groups of using al-Ahli for "terrorist activity" and "cynically and brutally using the civilian population" inside - an allegation they have April, staff at al-Ahli hospital said an Israeli strike destroyed its laboratory and damaged its emergency room. They did not report any direct casualties, but said a child died due to disruption of care. The Israeli military said it hit a Hamas "command-and-control centre".Hospitals are specially protected under international humanitarian law. They only lose that protection in certain circumstances, including being used as a base from which to launch an attack, as a weapons depot, or to hide healthy fighters. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 37 people across Gaza on Thursday. As well as Gaza City, local media reported deaths in Jabalia and Beit Lahia in the north, and in Khan Younis in the on Thursday, a controversial US and Israeli-backed aid group working in Gaza said it had reopened two of its distribution centres, a day after closing them for "renovation"."Over the past 24 hours, we have been fully focused on strengthening our distribution sites to ensure safe and more efficient delivery of life-saving aid to the people of Gaza," the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) interim executive director John Acree said in a Wednesday, the GHF announced that it was shutting all of its sites - three out of four of which had been operational - to make them "as safe as possible" following a string of deadly incidents of Palestinians have been killed in recent days while approaching one of the centres in Rafah on a route that runs through an Israeli military have said Israeli forces opened fire at crowds seeking Israeli military has denied that it fired at civilians within the centre, but it has said that troops fired at "suspects" who ignored warning shots and approached GHF has denied that anyone was killed or injured at its group, which uses American private security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the new system, saying it contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and also warn that Gaza's 2.1 million population faces catastrophic levels of hunger after an almost three-month total Israeli blockade that was partially eased two weeks US and Israel say the GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas, which the group denies the Israeli military said it recovered the bodies of two Israeli-Americans taken back to Gaza as hostages during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Washington Post
02-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
An Israeli strike on Gaza kills 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, hospitals say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Gaza Strip on Monday killed 14 people, mostly women and children, according to health officials. The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals confirmed the toll from the strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, saying five women and seven children were among those killed.
SBS Australia
13-05-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
'Unique opportunity': Inside the push for an Australian-backed children's hospital in Gaza
In Gaza, malnutrition is severely affecting children, pregnant women and people with chronic conditions, while also delaying the recovery of patients with serious war injuries. Source: AP / Jehad Alshrafi A British-Australian doctor is pushing for a children's hospital — backed by Australia — to be built in Gaza as the health system in the besieged Palestinian enclave continues to crumble. "I want to return to Gaza with our Australian-built hospital — that's when I want to get back to Gaza," he said. "I would return tomorrow if I could, to help. But until that hospital is established, my mission is not complete." Mustafa, who is training to be an emergency physician in Australia, returned from his second trip to Gaza last month. The 35-year-old is with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association, a non-profit organisation that provides medical relief and support to Palestinians. Bombs could be heard in the background as he described the deteriorating conditions inside al-Ahli Hospital — one of Gaza's few functioning hospitals. That facility in an attack the Israeli military said targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" at the hospital, a claim the Palestinian political and military group denied. Upon returning to Australia, Mustafa spoke to SBS News at the airport, as he detailed the dire medical shortages he witnessed, the surgeries performed without anaesthetics, and his calls for urgent humanitarian aid. "We would have people die waiting for their operations," Mustafa said at the time. "And we would have people die because we didn't even have scissors, to cut through clothes and to try and control the areas of bleeding." Mustafa said he chose to return home to press the Australian government in person, calling for a dedicated children's hospital near Gaza's southern border with Egypt, to treat everything from chronic diseases to war-related injuries. "Part of the mission is to establish a children's hospital," he said. "It would be a coalition, but we want it to be Australian-led … with operating theatres, emergency rooms, outpatient clinics — all to manage the growing needs of Gaza's children." Mustafa recently had a private meeting with Foreign Minister Penny Wong which he said was constructive. "It was a very positive meeting. I thank the foreign minister for her commitment and the acknowledgement of the difficult circumstances," he said. "She understood the gravity of the situation." In a statement, Wong confirmed the meeting took place and paid tribute to Mustafa's "selflessness" and said she looks forward "to continuing to work with him". "I deeply appreciated meeting Dr Mustafa and the president of PANZMA and hearing their insights into the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," the statement said. "It has been weeks since aid entered Gaza, and we know the operating conditions for aid workers are unacceptable. "We are pressing Israel to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, in line with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice." Wong said Australia is building a coalition to protect humanitarian workers and pushing a global declaration to pressure countries to follow international humanitarian law. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, reported on Monday that half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation and there is a critical risk of famine by September. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said the IPC had "constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel's efforts to get more aid in". Mencer reiterated Israel's accusation that Hamas had caused hunger by stealing aid meant for civilians, and had "engineered the humanitarian crisis". Hamas denies these accusations and has, in turn, accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Malnutrition is severely affecting children, pregnant women and people with chronic conditions, while also delaying the recovery of patients with serious war injuries, as aid stocks near depletion, several agencies told the Reuters news agency last week. The humanitarian crisis continues to weigh heavily on Australians with family trapped inside Gaza. Perth resident Ayman Qwaider, whose extended family is still in Gaza, at a press conference last week showed video footage taken by his brother of displaced families building makeshift ovens under the rubble. "[In] the last 60 days, there has been no food, no drinking water, no aid allowed into Gaza," Qwaider said. "Their voices are getting thinner, and their bodies weaker." Qwaider said he has already lost over 40 family members, including his sister and her three children. "This is the crime of our time. And the silence is devastating," he said. Ahmed Abumarzouq, also based in Perth, said his young niece was drinking dirty water, and his nephew hadn't eaten bread in days. "This is a man-made famine — a deliberate, calculated starvation," he said last week. "It's not just a humanitarian crisis, it's a moral failure. Silence is not impartiality." Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called on the international community to help with a new plan to distribute aid directly to the people of Gaza and cut Hamas out of the process. The IPC report said the Israeli authorities' plan for delivering aid was "estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population's essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine". Now that Labor has returned to government, Mustafa is turning up the pressure. "This is a very hot political topic, but children should not be political," he said. "More than half the population in Gaza are children. Their humanity should not be up for debate. "This is about a bipartisan, non-political humanitarian mission. Australia has a unique opportunity to help." Independent senator David Pocock has backed Mustafa's calls. "The Australian government has stepped in previously with providing aid to Gaza, but I would urge them to do more, proportionate to the scale of the crisis and commensurate with the kind of support we've seen for other conflicts like the war in Ukraine," Pocock said. "The immediate priority must be to allow the flow of humanitarian aid to recommence, hostilities to cease and get more medical assistance to those in dire need." Israeli forces invaded Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and resulted in , according to Israeli tallies. Since then, over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's health authority, and large swathes of the heavily built-up enclave have been laid to waste. — With reporting by the Reuters news agency
