Portraits available: (Please email to request high quality versions)
\n \n \nHadi Ali Ahmed Mohammad and his son Sanad are back at MSF-supported Nablus Hospital to visit the youngest member of their family, who has been admitted to the neonatal care unit. Since Sanad’s birth, the hospital has been where Hadi and his family have turned for the care of all their children. Here, Hadi shares his story in his own words.
“Sanad, my son, was born here at Nablus Hospital. On the day of the delivery, we left home before dawn, around the call to prayer, and came straight to this hospital. Thank God, Sanad was born on the morning of April 1st, 2020. Aside from him, I have nine daughters and three sons, but Sanad is my first child to be born at Nablus Hospital. When I heard that the Nablus facility was opening, I was delighted, and I was so happy that Sanad was born here. When my wife was discharged, she told me how well they had cared for her and the baby, providing meals and milk. We were truly overjoyed. I thought that anyone having a baby should come here because the staff take great care of mothers and babies. Ever since Sanad was born here, we have felt proud and happy whenever we visit. Once, my daughter got sick, and I brought her here, where we stayed for a few days. She is younger than him; she was born in 2024, and her name is Tabarak. She had a high fever and stayed here for three or four days. After that, she improved significantly and was discharged.
Yesterday, when Sanad heard that he had been invited here, he was overjoyed and said, "I'm going to go and have fun," and he prepared his clothes himself to come here. He is an extremely smart boy and has an excellent memory. If something happened a year ago, he would say, "A year ago, we did such and such." He is very excited about school and wants to study, but we were told he has to begin next year. Most of all, he loves Mosul! He gets so happy whenever he visits, and every time we come to Mosul, we have to bring him along. He especially loves going to the Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque and Bab Al-Toob. He always accompanies me in Mosul, knows his way around the city, and sometimes even directs me through the roads.
The ISIS events in 2014 caused us great suffering. When we were displaced to Mosul in 2017 because of ISIS, my situation deteriorated badly; I had no job and no money. At that time, I wished I had enough money to build a home in Mosul because we could live there as a family and secure our future. We stayed in Mosul for about two months. After our village was retaken by the army, we returned. Out of 2,000 houses in the village, only 10 families returned. We went back and settled there as basic services and water were gradually restored, and we were able to settle down. Work started picking up in early 2018, and I began rebuilding my house step by step. In 2020, my financial situation was very difficult; I didn't even have money for daily expenses. I was working as a daily labourer, but a curfew was imposed, as you know, so I couldn't go out to work. I continued rebuilding the house in 2020—it's been six or seven years—and I still haven't been able to finish the facade. Step by step, whenever I manage to save 200,000 or 300,000 IQD, I complete another part of the house.
I support a family of 14 people, and my only income is the social welfare stipend. It isn't enough, but we work and manage. Now, I can't work as I used to. I was born in 1986, so I am around forty years old now, and hard labour wears me out significantly. Not all times are happy, sometimes we are at ease, and at other times we feel worried or distressed. But all we want as a people is safety above everything else, so that we do not have to live in fear. We are content with our lives, but we feel truly at ease only when the situation is secure. My wish isn't to be rich, own trucks, or possess wealth without being at peace,I don't want a life like that. The most important thing is for my children to be settled in their own homes; that would mean the world to me.”
Medical interpreter Zeinab Osamah reflects on three years at the MSF-supported Nablus Hospital, where teamwork and training help strengthen care for patients and local health services. She also shares how Mosul is rebuilding and healing after years of war, with new opportunities and greater freedoms emerging for women.
My name is Zainab Osama. I work as a medical interpreter across several departments, and I have spent three wonderful years with MSF at Nablus Hospital. I usually work with the training team, focusing our efforts on capacity-building programmes and regularly visiting local hospitals that provide the same services we do. Typically, we stay with each hospital for six months to a full year. By the time we finish, we ensure that qualified professionals are fully prepared to fill the void left behind once MSF completes its mission and leaves Nablus Hospital.
I see Nablus Hospital as a beehive. Let me explain why. I have worked in various places before, but when I joined Nablus Hospital, I saw that it operated like a beautifully tuned machine. Every component performs a specific function, and every person plays a vital role. These separate parts work together in harmony to serve one ultimate purpose: helping patients. To me, Nablus Hospital is a true beehive, everyone is driven by a single goal and works in perfect harmony.
Recently, there was a situation in which a husband wanted to discharge his wife against medical advice. MSF and the entire medical team stood as her shield and ensured that she received the care she needed. Moments like this embody the true mission of MSF: standing by people who have no one else to turn to. This ordeal made me realise the profound vulnerability of women in our society. It is terrifying to think about what might happen if we were left without the protection of dedicated professionals.
During and after the war, the city was reduced to rubble, and we suddenly felt as though we were no longer welcome in our own home. During that dark period, we saw cherished people—our neighbours, our relatives, and even strangers whose roots were tied to this land and who were essential to the community—vanish or suffer in the most horrific ways. It broke us. Following these tragedies, Mosul underwent significant changes, both positive and negative. One remarkable development has been greater cultural openness. Today, there is a more progressive attitude towards women’s rights. Women are now driving cars in greater numbers, going out independently, pursuing higher education, and focusing intently on their futures. Demolished buildings are being reconstructed, and extensive archaeological excavations are revealing more of the heritage we thought we had lost. Many destroyed churches are also being rebuilt through various projects. I am happy that progress is being made. After everything it has endured, Mosul looks more beautiful, and it is finally healing and breathing again.
Haider Hussein reflects on his time working as a watchman at the MSF-supported Nablus Hospital, at the end of the Battle of Mosul, and while the city was recovering from the war. This experience inspired his ongoing commitment to humanitarian service and helping his community.
I’m Haider Hussein, from Mosul. I’m thirty-three years old. I started at Nablus Hospital, which was on July 1, 2017. From the beginning, our main objective was to ensure the hospital’s security, as well as organising the workflow. In the beginning, our work was a bit challenging because it was during the early period following the liberation. There were terrorist incidents. There were explosions here and there, and people killed, so it was a difficult time for us. However, thanks to the efforts of MSF and our supervisors, we managed to get through that period. \u200b
Many moments, especially during the liberation, people would come to us with very severe injuries. They lost limbs or half their bodies, and the children’s terror and fear, this is something that you can’t forget.
The change was definitely for the better and the project expanded significantly, and it began receiving more cases. As a result, people developed a very positive impression of this facility compared with the rest of the hospitals and across Mosul.
It was providing an important service to people in need, and the opportunities and resources are limited here. We are very grateful because they came at a time when the city truly needed it. It was a beautiful period, because we provided assistance to those in need, especially during the wars, those were very difficult days. We went through a very intense war, that other people did not experience. So I will remember that I provided assistance. I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of MSF of course, because I was part of this team that provided amazing services. \u200b
Our lives, thank God, have become stable, and we have safety and peace. The change compared with the past is huge. Before, we couldn’t really go out, especially at night. Now you can go out whenever you want, go anywhere you like and no one questions you. \u200b
I’m currently studying law. Because after I saw that I could provide humanitarian services, I decided to continue my studies. I owe it all to MSF, because working with them inspired me to love community service and to help people.
Since the opening of the MSF-supported Nablus hospital in June 2017, emergency nurse Abdullah Isa has cared for patients throughout the Battle of Mosul and during the city’s recovery period. In this first-person piece, he reflects on saving lives, and on the impact of MSF on the communities of Mosul.
My name is Abdullah Isaa, emergency nurse. I’ve been working with MSF since 2017, when activities started. The hospitals were destroyed and health services were not available. So MSF opened this facility. People needed it. Security forces and residents were coming to us, and we would receive them here, treat them, and provide them with health care. So, our work focused solely on emergencies. We treated many patients and saved many lives. Then the military operations ended, and Mosul was completely retaken. We found that the people needed the hospital more than during the war. We rescued drowning victims, we treated heart attack cases affecting elderly, adults, and even newborns. We provided outstanding care to the community. \u200b
We received complex and critical cases, and we encountered many medical situations, and honestly, we learned from these experiences. We gained experience and we took many training courses with doctors. So, during the battle of Mosul, we were receiving patients from areas of Mosul that had not yet been retaken. Explosive devices would go off around them, killing half the family. Some families would arrive with only some of their members. They would tell us that the others had been left behind in the streets, injured on the way, or were caught in attacks. You would not know whether to treat them or comfort them. This situation was very common, especially in the beginning. They were escaping the residential areas, through side roads and rough terrain. These kinds of things really affected me. We would treat them by providing them with psychological support before medical care. \u200b
Life is back to normal, thank God. And Mosul, considering everything that happened here, is one of the leading provinces in Iraq. It has gotten back on its feet, reconstruction is underway and security has been restored.
There is a verse in the Quran that says whoever saves one's life is as if they saved all of humanity. This is a place that saves lives. Sometimes, when I see the war in Sudan on television, I see footage of a MSF site or banner, I know that is a safe place. That there exists a safe place. \u200b
Sometimes when I go out, if I’m invited somewhere or there is an event when someone asks me about my work, I tell them that I work with MSF. Almost everyone that asks me has had some kind of experience with MSF. I mean, all of Mosul and the areas outside Mosul have been served by MSF. Whenever I say I work with MSF, people share stories about how the organization helped them. A lot of people, I mean about 90% of them have had an experience with MSF or benefited from one of its services.
Jellan Mohammed, Jellan Mohammed, maternity supervisor at the MSF-supported Nablus Hospital, has helped ensure that mothers and babies receive high-quality care for several years. Here, she reflects on lifesaving teamwork, the city’s recovery, and the lasting impact of MSF on patients and healthcare staff.
My name is Jellan Mohammad Ali. I am currently the supervisor of the maternity department, and I have been working with the staff for the past six years. The maternity department consists of several sections: triage, family planning, postnatal care, and gynaecology. Across the department, I supervise the staff, monitor their work, ensure that patients receive the best possible services, and make sure that high-quality healthcare is provided appropriately.
First of all, when I think about the hospital, it reminds me of humanity, high-quality healthcare services, effective protocols, commitment, skills, and technical expertise. All of these are part of MSF. There is not just one story; many things have happened to us in Nablus, especially in the maternity department. At times, we would receive a critical case every week, which we handled as a team. These cases reflected the results of our efforts and showed how we were able to save patients’ lives.
Saving a patient’s life is something truly wonderful. We are not only saving the patient’s life; we are saving the baby’s life as well. This made us feel proud. It showed us how, in these kinds of emergency situations, we could work as a team, manage the situation, and complete all the required steps within a specific timeframe. These are experiences that we will never forget.
One patient came to the maternity department in pain, and we admitted her. She had already entered the labour stage. The patient was very tired, and after delivery, she developed a postpartum haemorrhage and began bleeding continuously. We faced a challenge, but we did not let it overwhelm us. We transferred her to another hospital and were able to save the lives of both the mother and the baby.
I still remember walking her to the door, carrying the blood bag in my hand. I wanted to make sure that she received the blood she needed. Some time later, I saw the mother at the hospital, and she told me, “I’ll never forget you, you saved my life.” The moment I saw her, I immediately remembered her. She has not forgotten us, and we have not forgotten her. Experiences like this stay with us, and we cannot forget them.
Mosul went through a very difficult period. We never imagined that we would be able to get through it. But, thank God, we did. Mosul is now continuously developing, and healthcare services are gradually being restored. Step by step, hospitals are being rehabilitated. Not only that, but the quality of healthcare services is also improving to some extent. For example, a hospital that used to have 100 beds now has 200. They are doing their best. The Ministry of Health is trying to support Mosul by improving its healthcare infrastructure so that it can provide the best possible services to patients.
I would like to thank MSF for all the time it spent in Mosul because we have all benefited from its presence, both in terms of providing services to patients and on a personal level. MSF helped us develop our theoretical and practical skills through training and certification. We received training at both national and international levels. I would like to thank MSF for being present in Mosul.
I first heard about MSF approximately two years before I started working with the organisation. I found out about MSF on Facebook and would often read posts about how it provides services in different countries. Then, one day, I came across a recruitment post. I applied, and that is how I ended up here.
Dr Mohammed Amr is a paediatrician who has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) at Nablus Hospital since 2019, while also working in the neonatal care unit at Mosul General Hospital. He reflects on his years of caring for vulnerable children in Nablus and on the important role that knowledge shared through MSF has played in his personal development, as well as in improving the care of children in Mosul's public hospitals.
I am Dr. Mohammed Amr, a paediatrician. I have worked with MSF since 2019. I also work for the Department of Health at Mosul General Hospital, where I head the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
At Nablus hospital we learned a great deal from our MSF colleagues over years and shared this knowledge with colleagues in our public hospitals. We made new friends and worked together as one team. Every visiting international doctor offered new insights that enriched our existing knowledge. It was also a valuable blend of cultures and medical education, from which we benefited immensely. This gave us, as local doctors, significant expertise through collaboration with international colleagues.
Nablus hospital was extremely vital for the city: it received patients referred from other hospitals and was among the first facilities here to introduce CPAP devices. It was also the only hospital providing specialised care for children with malnutrition, which was unavailable at other healthcare facilities. This was a completely new service that added a great deal to healthcare in Mosul during this period. Most patients came from the Right Bank, especially in the early years, and many lived in extreme poverty. Consequently, the hospital admitted numerous cases and provided patients with a wide range of free healthcare services.
One patient I particularly remember was a baby whose progress I still follow today; he is now about three years old. He was referred to us from a private hospital in Mosul, weighing approximately 900 grams. He was admitted to our neonatal unit and stayed for nearly 50 days. He experienced recurrent neonatal apnea, received multiple blood transfusions, and frequently came close to death. His mother and the medical staff had almost lost hope. However, his condition gradually improved. His recovery was deeply heartening, especially because his breathing stopped 20 to 30 times during apnea episodes and he needed CPAP support. At one point, he required mechanical ventilation, which was unavailable in public hospitals. Today, he leads a completely normal life. This is just one of the many stories we experienced here.
Many MSF protocols are now applied in the hospital where we work. We use the same MSF guidelines in our public hospitals, especially for neonatal patients and malnutrition cases—the latter was a completely new specialty in our local medical community. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) units existed in hospitals, but they were not operating according to the structured approach used here. We adopted the same approach followed in MSF hospitals, and KMC is now implemented in our public facilities. Another important contribution from MSF was its infection prevention and control protocols, particularly those covering equipment sterilization and safe interactions with patients. We transferred all these practices to public hospitals, where they have proved highly valuable. Dr. Zakaria and I established a KMC unit at Mosul General Hospital in 2021, building on MSF's successful experience. The results were excellent: we managed many premature births, with outcomes comparable to MSF's. Our experience with MSF was extremely positive and useful, benefiting not only specialist doctors but also nursing staff. Even after completing advanced medical training and board certification, we learned many practices that had not previously been available to us. These included training on ultrasound machines and CPAP devices, among many other areas. We used the CPAP knowledge gained at MSF to train specialist doctors and senior residents at Mosul General Hospital. We taught them the indications for use and relevant protocols, passing on the experience so that colleagues and patients at the hospital could benefit.
In Mosul, there has certainly been major change for the better in all areas. The city has developed significantly through infrastructure reconstruction and the construction and upgrading of hospitals. New academic programs have been introduced, including in medical specialties and other fields. The greatest proof of this progress is the city's recovery from four years of war, which had almost taken it back to square one. Thanks to the people of Mosul, who are known for their generosity and dedication to work, the city recovered in a very short time and became better than it was before.
Sabah Farhan is a data entry operator in the emergency room at the MSF-supported Nablus Hospital. She witnessed the end of the Battle of Mosul first-hand, as well as the transformation of the city and hospital in the following years. She reflects on her nine years with MSF, the humanitarian work that shaped her path, and the patients and colleagues who have left a lasting mark on her.
“My name is Sabah, and I work as a data operator in the emergency department, specifically in triage. My journey with MSF began in 2017, when Mosul was not yet fully liberated. I fell in love with this job because it gives me the chance to support patients in critical need, especially children. Working with these young patients touched my heart so deeply that I held onto my role and chose not to transfer to another department. In 2017, we were fully dedicated to treating war casualties. We admitted patients whose lives had been devastated by the conflict, as well as families fleeing the violence of ISIS. Since then, our work has undergone a massive transformation: we went from treating war injuries—which, thank God, have ended—to battling the COVID-19 pandemic and isolating infected patients. Now that the pandemic is over, we have returned to focusing our care exclusively on children under the age of 14. The situation across the city was exceptionally critical then, completely different from the peace we see today.
I always wanted to join MSF. I first learned about MSF (Doctors Without Borders) through my father when I was just 11 years old. He was watching the news on TV during a warm winter family gathering. I leaned in and asked him, "Dad, what is this report you are watching? What is this 'Doctors Without Borders' organization? Who are they?" He smiled and replied, "MSF is a humanitarian organization that aids people in times of crisis—floods, wars, and so on." He explained it to me, and it stayed with me. From then on, I kept wondering how such a humanitarian mission operated. Although we all have humanity within us, we often lack a platform for humanitarian work. That dream stayed in my heart, and I kept wishing that one day I would work for MSF. When MSF arrived in Mosul, I wanted to apply straight away. So I told my sister, who is a laboratory technician, "Let's go and apply. I will help you fill out the application and tag along because I want to see them. I don't want anything else; I just want to catch a glimpse of them." We went together so she could apply. A man working there noticed me and asked, "Why don't you apply too?" I told him, "But I am not a doctor." He smiled and said, "Being a doctor is not a requirement to join us." I asked in disbelief, "Really?" He said, "I swear it's true." I immediately said, "Then sign me up!"
I had never worked in a hospital before. In the beginning, it was difficult for me to see patients and other people screaming and crying... Whenever I saw someone crying, I would gather my strength and comfort them. It was the simplest thing I could offer because I was not part of the medical staff. I loved this job because it is humanitarian work. I carry many stories from my time at the hospital—memories that left a deep mark on my soul. Among the most moving experiences were the times when young men and women came to us, desperate for mental health care. They often mistook me for a member of the mental health team. I simply wanted to help in any way I could. I would sit with them, listen, comfort them and soothe their pain until the mental health team arrived to take over. They touched my heart so deeply. Their stories are utterly heartbreaking.
Nablus Hospital has had an incredibly powerful impact on both neighbouring areas and distant communities, whose people are deeply grateful. I especially remember the beautiful moments we shared with our colleagues, both local international. They were truly beautiful and enjoyable things we experienced together. The services we provided to the people can never be forgotten, the humanitarian cases we have seen and the things we have been able to help with are things we will never forget. Our lives have changed completely over these nine years. My own life has been fully transformed.
Mosul has undergone a complete 180-degree transformation—a wonderful change for the better. In healthcare and hospitals, many resources have become available, and in every respect, Mosul has returned stronger and better than before. Compared with 2017 and 2018, just after the end of the battel, the contrast is stark: back then, Mosul was nothing but ruins and rubble. Mosul embraces people from all communities; it is the beating heart of Iraq. Everyone is welcome to visit, and we receive all our guests with open arms and the warmest hospitality.
I love the forests of Mosul. Going for a walk along the riverside corniche completely clears my mind. It is a stunning area that holds many memories for me. My most cherished memories are of family visits to the open-air cafes and restaurants along the riverbank. Those outings gave us beautiful moments, photographs and lifelong memories.”