3 October 2025: Yesterday, an attack carried out by Israeli forces killed Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff member, Omar Hayek, and seriously injured four others.
The attack took place on a street where our teams were waiting to take a bus to the MSF field hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza. All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying them as medical humanitarian workers. We express deep sorrow and outrage over the killing, which occurs less than two weeks after another MSF colleague, Hussein Alnajjar, was killed by the Israeli forces, in Deir Al Balah.
Our thoughts are with Omar’s family and colleagues at this tragic time. Omar, 42 years old, is the fourteenth MSF colleague to be killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Omar was a quiet man of profound kindness and utter professionalism.
Since June 2018, he had worked as an occupational therapist at an MSF clinic in Gaza City, dedicating his life to restoring strength and dignity to thousands of patients. He remained in Gaza City before finally evacuating south on 13 September due to relentless attacks and forced displacement from Israeli forces, who claimed people would find safety there. Instead, he was killed at a bus stop on his way to work. Omar was the sole provider for his family since his father passed away and his young brother was killed.
Multiple healthcare workers, MSF family members and MSF staff were also seriously injured in the attack this morning, including a physiotherapist, orthopaedic surgeon, supply officer and a finance assistant. One of our staff is in critical condition with shrapnel wounds.
In the moment of the attack, our colleagues were on their way to work amidst the ongoing relentless Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Health workers in Gaza have been killed, threatened or detained, including Dr Mohamed Obeid, an MSF surgeon still in detention with no formal charges.
While hundreds of thousands of people continue to be pushed from north Gaza to the south, for their so-called safety, they continue to be attacked and killed everywhere across the Strip. Nowhere in Gaza is safe. The entire population has been starved and besieged for almost two years. We call for an end to the bloodshed, an end to the genocide. There must be a ceasefire now.
MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au