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 decided to leave Gaza.

I would never have imagined starving, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medic said. His evacuation to Ireland in mid-September marked an end to his intense work at hospitals amidst a collapsing healthcare sector due to Israel's ongoing offensive.

I'm physically here but my heart and soul are in Gaza, Dr. Mughaisib shared, expressing the overwhelming contrast between his new peaceful life and the chaos he left behind. The dire conditions in Gaza pushed doctors like him to work while starving; some resorted to only sipping glucose to have any energy to treat patients.

Dr. Abu Mughaisib described hospitals as overwhelmed with casualties, a far cry from the healing sanctuaries they are meant to be. With limited resources and constant bombings, he felt trapped in a moral dilemma, choosing which injured patients to treat.

The doctor recounted the emotional toll of witnessing overcrowding in hospitals with patients lying on floors due to lack of beds. Despite the devastating experience of witnessing his colleagues and patients suffer, he also feels relief for his survival: I'm happy that I'm a survivor...but I'm sad that I left behind my colleagues and my people.

Having arrived in Ireland with nothing but his clothes and mobile phone, Dr. Mughaisib reflected on the extensive destruction in Gaza. Healing will take a long time, he emphasized, stressing the need for global support to rebuild. The conflict, he fears, has left wounds deeper than physical injuries—changing the very fabric of society.