MSF is devastated by the death of colleague Abed El Hameed, who succumbed to injuries sustained in last week’s attack

Jerusalem, 5 October 2025 - It is with profound sorrow and outrage that Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirms the death of our colleague Abed El Hameed Qaradaya. Despite the care provided by the medical teams, he succumbed to his critical shrapnel injuries on Sunday, 5 October, following the attack on Thursday, 2 October, in which our colleague Omar Hayek was also killed, and several others were injured.

The attack, carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza, struck a street where our teams were waiting to take a bus to go to work at MSF field hospital in Deir Al-Balah. All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying them as medical humanitarian workers. ​
Abed was 43 years old and is now the fifteenth MSF staff member killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. He is our third colleague killed in less than 20 days.

Abed and Omar left Gaza City following evacuation orders and relentless attacks by Israeli forces, only to be killed by those same forces in what was described as a “safer zone”. There is no safe place in Gaza.

Our thoughts are with Abed’s wife and two children. His loss is immense and has a tragic impact on his loved ones, MSF and the health system in Gaza.

For 18 years, Abed El Hameed was a cornerstone of MSF’s physiotherapy department in Gaza. He was a unique and invaluable specialist in both physiotherapy and occupational therapy. ​ Abed was dedicated not only to his patients’ physical recovery but also to restoring their hope and sense of dignity. ​

Abed continued working tirelessly in the face of immense challenges including shortage of supplies due to Israeli blockade. He innovated and adapted tools, working with tailors and logisticians to create custom compression suits for burns patients, and adapted walkers to fit specific needs of individual patients wounded and amputated during this genocide. He was the driving force behind opening up the 3D physiotherapy department, insisting on bringing in new technologies for patient care into Gaza.

Abed will be remembered by his colleagues as an ever optimistic and deeply compassionate person, a true friend, always ready to support, encourage, and inspire.

MSF calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed. We are profoundly grieved and outraged by the loss of our colleagues, a stark reminder of the pattern of complete disregard for civilian lives and human dignity.

Updated data on MSF activities in Gaza:

· Over the past two years, MSF has provided 1,247,557 outpatient consultations and attended 390,218 emergency presentations. The teams treated 78,107 people for diarrhoea and carried out 29,465 surgical interventions. A total of 61,178 patients were admitted as inpatients. MSF also supported 70,111 ante-natal consultations and assisted with 16,683 deliveries. In addition, 70,599 individual mental health sessions were provided, alongside 88,538 consultations for non-communicable diseases.

· MSF currently operates in two hospitals (Nasser in Khan Yunis and Al-Aqsa in Deir El Balah) and supports two hospitals from distance (Al-Helou and Al-Shifa in Gaza City). MSF further operates in two field hospitals in Deir Al-Balah, 4 primary healthcare centres (PHCC) and two clinics in the middle area and south Gaza. MSF suspended its hands on activities in Gaza City on September 24.

· Attacks on healthcare continue, over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023. As a result, healthcare in Gaza has been decimated and have been continuously dismantled. 14 MSF colleagues have been killed, MSF has suffered dozens of critical incidents and was forced to leave around 20 facilities and hospitals.

Photos

High quality copies available upon request.

Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, MSF Physiotherapy Activities Manager in Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis. January 2025. © Nour Alsaqqa/MSF
Abed holding New Year 2018's greetings card featuring him. January 2018. © MSF
Portrait of Abed El Hameed Qaradaya taken in 2023, in Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. December 2023. © MSF
Crowd gathering outside Nasser hospital while Abed El Hameed Qaradaya's remains are taken to the ambulance that will drive to the cemetary for the funerals. 5th October 2025. © Nour Alsaqqa / MSF

Share

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About MSF UK

This is the media office for the UK office of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF UK's privacy notice is available here.

Address: Level 5, Artesian, 9 Prescot Street, London E1 8AZ

Contact

www.msf.org.uk