FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2024

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MedGlobal Mourns the Death of its Palestinian Medical Team Member Killed by IDF Shelling in Gaza

MedGlobal, a leading medical aid NGO that has provided medical care and support in Gaza since 2018, announced today the tragic death of a Palestinian member of their medical staff, Fares Abed, who on Tuesday was killed by IDF shelling of his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. 

Abed joined the MedGlobal team earlier this year and worked at the organization’s malnutrition treatment and nutrition stabilization center at northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital. He served as an IT specialist collecting data at the center, and was deeply committed to his work. Abed was a devoted husband and the father of four children. Tragically, his oldest son was also killed just one month ago by a bombing in Jabaliya. 

Abed is the latest of over 250 humanitarian aid workers who have been killed in Gaza since October 7th, a higher number in 8 months than in any global conflict annually in the last 20 years. He remained in the north of Gaza to continue his vital work there despite the perilous conditions, while his family sought safety in the south. Heartbreakingly, due to the travel restrictions between the south and north, his family is now unable to bid him a final farewell. 

“We are deeply saddened and outraged by the terrible loss of our colleague Fares, who during his time with us worked tirelessly in incredibly difficult circumstances to help aid children suffering from malnutrition,” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of MedGlobal. “Palestinian aid workers have faced terrible threats not only to themselves, but to their entire families and communities. The endless suffering, attacks on civilians and violations of international law must come to an end – and the humanitarian community must be allowed to do our vital work unimpeded.”

MedGlobal operates 10 clinics in Gaza, offering free healthcare to over 5,000 patients daily, and operates the only nutrition stabilization center in Rafah, along with a nutrition stabilization clinic at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north. These critical operations have been continually and increasingly disrupted by ongoing and intensifying IDF attacks over recent weeks. 

MedGlobal leadership are available for interviews on the totally inadequate protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

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MedGlobal is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides emergency response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world.