International

Gaza doctors starving while fighting to save lives – Medic

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2025

Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib says he struggles to eat knowing his colleagues in Gaza are still suffering

Gaza doctors starving while fighting to save lives – Medic

For two decades, his job and purpose in life was to heal people. But Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib also wanted to stay alive.

So, when he could no longer even look after himself, and the hunger was too much to bear, he took a rare chance to leave Gaza.

“I would never have imagined starving,” the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medic said.

“But my head hurt and I had pain in my stomach from starvation.”

After working non-stop at hospitals throughout Gaza over the past two years, Dr Abu Mughaisib was evacuated to Ireland in mid-September, along with a group of students taking up scholarships.

Safe and fed, he is now able to reflect on his time working in increasingly dire conditions as Israel’s offensive destroyed medical and other critical infrastructure – and how he feels about leaving colleagues behind.

“The decision was very difficult,” he told me, sitting in a peaceful park in Dublin – with a soundtrack of birdsong, rather than bullets, drones and explosions.

The contrast between the two worlds was almost overwhelming for him.

“I’m physically here but my heart and soul are in Gaza,” he said. “It’s very strange seeing people living a normal life, and it will take time to get used to it.”

“I’m happy that I’m a survivor. Because I could have been killed or injured anytime. But I’m sad that I left behind my colleagues and my people.”

Dr Abu Mughaisib was in charge of operations for the international medical charity in the Gaza Strip, including all its hospitals, clinics and mental health services. It is one of the biggest providers of medical services in Gaza.

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Around 51% of Gaza’s population are under 18, according to figures from Unicef

He struggled to put into words the “indescribable” consequences for his colleagues of the past two years of war, with Israel’s offensive leaving Gaza’s hospitals under severe strain, with some forced to close and others operating at drastically reduced levels.

He told me about medics forced to sip glucose solution just to give themselves a little energy to carry on working.

At one point, among doctors and nurses, the only topic of conversation in the hospital was food, and the desperate hunt for it. “Starving doctors were treating malnutrition,” he said.

And the injured just kept coming.

“When you enter a hospital, you smell blood,” he told me.

“Hospitals are meant to be holy places, sterile places but in Gaza it’s like going to a public market. Patients are literally lying on the ground because there are no beds for them.

“There are not enough doctors to look after them. In the intensive care unit, they wait for someone to die, to admit another critical patient.”

He adds: “I hope that one day you can have access to see what’s happening in these hospitals in Gaza. It’s horrible.”

Foreign journalists are banned by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so news organisations, including the BBC, rely on trusted local freelancers to report from the ground.

The 52-year-old doctor has lost count of the number of times he was displaced since the start of the war Israel launched in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.

Those attacks were “totally unacceptable” and shocked him, he said.

He said his large home in Gaza City – which used to have a barbecue and picnic table on the lawn – was taken over as an Israeli military base and then looted by local people.

Dr Abu Mughaisib managed to get his family evacuated to Egypt in February 2024, while he stayed behind.

“I lived in a tent. I lived in the hospital. I lived in the MSF office. I put my mattress down in the electricity room of a restaurant.”

But wherever he was, he kept working.

Fear accompanied him everywhere. “Every time I walked in the street, I was very terrified and I looked around me, staring at people, because I didn’t know who was Hamas”, he said.

“And I thought, OK this guy, maybe he’s wanted, maybe they [Israel] will target him. And they will kill everyone around.”

Each day brought moral dilemmas over how to treat the injured.

“Which patient do you admit? You decide you can only take children, but they’re mostly children, so which one do you prefer to take care of?”

“The situation is beyond description,” he added.

More than 18,000 of the 66,000 people the Hamas-run health ministry has recorded killed during the war are children. The UN considers these figures reliable.

And as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza City, the UN says that attacks on and around hospitals have left sick and injured civilians with nowhere to go for life-saving treatment.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, there have been at least 17 Israeli attacks in or near health facilities in Gaza Strip in the second part of September alone.

“There were no signs it’s only targeting Hamas,” said Dr Abu Mughaisib. “It’s the civilians, the population, me, my friends, my colleagues, my neighbours, they are not Hamas.

“We are the ones who were killed and injured and running from one place to another and starving.”

Israel says it takes steps to reduce civilian casualties and blames Hamas for using civilians as human shields.

Dr Abu Mughaisib said he knew that Israel’s retaliation for the 7 October attacks would be massive. But he never imagined the scale of it, describing it as an “attack on every layer of life in Gaza, from infrastructure, electricity, the water supply, the sewage system, the hospitals, schools and universities.”

He told me people in Gaza are so desperate that they will their elderly relatives to die to spare them further suffering.

“I have colleagues still under the rubble”, he said.

At least 13 MSF staff have been killed over the past two years. The latest, a nurse who died of shrapnel injuries from an Israeli air strike near his tent in September.

Safe now from the war in Gaza, Dr Abu Mughaisib enjoyed his first proper shower in almost two years.

But after dreaming for weeks about eating, now that there’s food all around him, he has no appetite.

“Of course, I’m happy that I left. But I’m not enjoying this happiness. When I know my colleagues are suffering, I can’t eat a proper meal.”

He left Gaza with only his mobile phone and the clothes he was wearing. Nothing else was allowed.

He was told that the Israelis had strictly prohibited evacuees from taking any sand or earth from Gaza.

And he is convinced that this was for a reason: “So there’s no proof that you are from Gaza. You have no links to Gaza. You have no memories of Gaza.”

“I wanted to take all of Gaza with me,” he said. “Not just a bit.”

He said the destruction in Gaza is so extensive that towns he passed through as he left through the border crossing with Egypt were completely unrecognisable.

I asked him if he thought Gaza would ever heal.

“It will be very difficult,” he replied.

“The wounds are not just physical. They are social, psychological, emotional and spiritual.

“Everything is lost.”

Healing will take a long time, he said.

“And I think the people will need the support of the world to heal them.”

Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson

Gaza doctors starving while fighting to save lives – Medic

BBC

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School Turns Death Trap as Roof Collapse Claims 22 Lives

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5 hours ago

October 15, 2026

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School Turns Death Trap as Roof Collapse Claims 22 Lives

At least 21 children and a teacher have been killed after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, triggering an emergency rescue operation as authorities searched for people feared trapped beneath the rubble.

The incident occurred on Thursday, October 15, 2026, in the Dir Colony area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The victims were pupils attending the school when the roof gave way, according to reports citing local officials and hospital authorities.

More than 40 people were reportedly injured in the collapse, with several taken to hospital for treatment. Some of the injured were said to be in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could increase as rescue efforts continued.

Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, confirmed that children and a teacher were brought to the facility after the incident. Early reports said the children killed were all aged 13 or younger.

Emergency responders, including personnel from Rescue 1122, were deployed to the scene to remove debris, search for survivors and transport injured pupils to medical facilities. Rescue workers continued to check the wreckage for anyone who might still be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

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The cause of the collapse had not been established at the time of reporting. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the condition of the school building and whether construction and safety standards were observed.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He also prayed for the strength of the families affected by the tragedy.

The disaster has renewed concerns about building safety and construction standards in Pakistan, where structural collapses have repeatedly caused deaths and injuries. Poor construction materials and weak enforcement of safety regulations have been cited in reports on previous incidents, although the cause of the Peshawar collapse remains unconfirmed.

In June 2026, a roof collapse at a tutoring centre in Lahore killed at least 14 children. The recurring incidents have intensified calls for stricter inspections of educational facilities and stronger enforcement of building regulations to protect pupils and school staff.

Authorities are expected to establish what caused the latest collapse and determine whether any safety breaches contributed to the tragedy.

School Turns Death Trap as Roof Collapse Claims 22 Lives

International

Nigeria Secures UN Human Rights Council Seat With 172 Votes

Published

22 hours ago

October 14, 2026

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Nigeria Secures UN Human Rights Council Seat With 172 Votes

Nigeria has secured a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after receiving 172 votes in an election by the UN General Assembly, earning the country a three-year term on the international body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.

The election was held on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Nigeria will serve on the 47-member council from January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2029.

Nigeria was among 15 countries elected to the council for the new term. The other successful candidates included Zambia, Ghana, Burundi, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Moldova and Ukraine.

Among the African candidates, Zambia received 177 votes, Ghana secured 173, Nigeria obtained 172, while Burundi received 160 votes.

The election gives Nigeria an opportunity to participate in international deliberations on human rights standards, alleged violations and measures aimed at improving the protection of fundamental freedoms across the world.

However, the process has attracted criticism from human rights organisations because the election was uncontested. Regional groups nominated exactly as many candidates as there were available seats, meaning there was no competitive ballot among rival candidates within the respective groups.

The UN Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body based in Geneva, Switzerland. Established in 2006, it is mandated to address human rights violations, promote respect for fundamental freedoms and make recommendations to governments and the international community.

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The council comprises 47 member states elected by the UN General Assembly through a secret ballot. Its seats are allocated among five regional groups to ensure geographical representation, and members serve staggered three-year terms.

The body examines human rights situations in individual countries, conducts its Universal Periodic Review of UN member states and considers complaints and reports concerning alleged abuses. It can also appoint independent experts, establish commissions of inquiry and authorise fact-finding missions to investigate serious allegations.

Although the council plays an important role in international human rights oversight, it does not operate as a criminal court and cannot independently impose criminal sentences on individuals accused of abuses.

Nigeria’s election comes amid continuing international scrutiny of human rights conditions in several countries, including concerns about police conduct, accountability, freedom of expression and the treatment of vulnerable groups.

The selection of countries with contested human rights records has been criticised by advocacy organisations, which argue that uncontested elections can weaken accountability and reduce pressure on candidates to demonstrate their commitment to protecting fundamental rights.

The criticism has also raised questions about how elected countries will use their positions on the council to address allegations of abuses and support international human rights standards.

For Nigeria, membership offers a platform to contribute to debates on issues such as unlawful killings, torture, discrimination, the rights of women and children, freedom of expression and the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.

The country will also be expected to participate in council sessions, consider resolutions and engage with other member states on international human rights concerns.

Nigeria’s three-year membership begins in January 2027. Its performance on the council will be watched alongside its domestic human rights record, including how authorities address allegations of misconduct and strengthen accountability and protection for citizens.

The election is therefore both a diplomatic achievement for Nigeria and an opportunity for the country to demonstrate its commitment to the principles the council was established to uphold.

Nigeria Secures UN Human Rights Council Seat With 172 Votes

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Houthi Missile Targeting Riyadh Shot Down as Debris Injures Four, Damages 15 Homes

Published

22 hours ago

October 14, 2026

Trends Admin

Houthi Missile Targeting Riyadh Shot Down as Debris Injures Four, Damages 15 Homes

Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh, as debris from earlier missile interceptions injured four people and damaged about 15 residential homes in the Saudi capital.

The developments were announced on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, amid escalating attacks involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi armed group.

Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, confirmed that a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh had been intercepted and destroyed.

Saudi authorities subsequently lifted danger warnings issued for Riyadh and Al-Kharj Governorate through the country’s National Early Warning Platform, indicating that the immediate threat covered by those alerts had passed.

The missile interception came after loud explosions were heard over Riyadh late on Tuesday as Saudi air defences engaged incoming aerial threats.

According to the Saudi Civil Defence, debris from two previously intercepted cruise missiles fell on residential areas, injuring four people and causing material damage to approximately 15 homes.

The injured comprised two women, a man and a child. Authorities said the debris caused limited damage to the affected properties, while images released by Saudi officials showed damage inside residential buildings.

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Emergency services responded to the incident, and the relevant authorities implemented established safety procedures. The four injuries were attributed to falling missile fragments rather than a direct impact from the intercepted missiles.

The latest interception was part of a broader series of missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting threats over Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom, including Dhahran and Al-Kharj.

Saudi officials also reported that three drones had been destroyed north of Riyadh on Tuesday.

In a separate incident, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed that an administrative building belonging to state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, was struck on Tuesday evening, causing what authorities described as a limited fire.

The ministry said there were no casualties from the fire. Reports indicated that the building was part of the Aramco headquarters complex, which houses offices associated with the company’s extensive oil and energy operations.

The Houthis have claimed attacks against Saudi strategic and energy facilities, including Aramco installations and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The latest developments have raised further concerns about the security of civilian areas and critical infrastructure across the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond to attacks against its territory. The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, condemned the attacks and reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to protecting its security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The renewed confrontation has also prompted military action by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. On Tuesday, the coalition announced operations targeting facilities it said were being used to support Houthi attacks. It issued warnings urging civilians to stay away from designated locations.

The Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, have said their attacks are retaliation for Saudi military operations against them. The conflict has intensified after years of intermittent fighting and has increased concerns about the potential impact on regional stability, energy supplies and international shipping.

The latest missile interception in Riyadh underscores the continuing threat posed by missiles and drones in the conflict. Although the ballistic missile targeting the capital was destroyed, falling debris from earlier interceptions demonstrated the risks to residents even when air defences successfully engage incoming weapons.

Saudi authorities have not reported further casualties from the latest ballistic missile interception. The situation remains tense as the kingdom continues to monitor and respond to incoming aerial threats.