Abdullah Hammad

Abdullah Hammad was a devoted Palestinian humanitarian worker who served as a hygiene specialist with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) in the Gaza Strip. For 18 months, he worked at the Al-Mawasi clinic, a facility that provided essential medical services in one of the few remaining areas with relative safety for civilians. In his role, Hammad was responsible for ensuring sanitary conditions and infection prevention—an often overlooked but critical task in a region where the health system has been systematically dismantled by war. His work helped safeguard the lives of patients and medical staff in an environment marked by overcrowding, shortages, and repeated attacks on healthcare infrastructure. Hammad’s commitment to public health was matched by his close ties to MSF: his siblings—Karam, Bahaa, and Zainab—also worked with the organization, making the family deeply embedded in the humanitarian response to Gaza’s crisis.

On July 3, 2025, just three days after completing his term with MSF, Hammad was killed by Israeli forces in Khan Younis while waiting for food aid. He had joined a group of civilians gathered near aid trucks to collect flour—a rare and vital commodity under Israel’s blockade and ongoing siege. Eyewitnesses and MSF reports indicate that the Israeli military opened fire on the crowd without warning, killing at least 16 people and wounding others. Hammad was among those shot and killed in what MSF has condemned as an unprovoked and inhumane attack. His death occurred amid what humanitarian organizations and human rights groups describe as the deliberate use of starvation and deprivation as weapons of war.

Hammad was the twelfth MSF worker killed in Gaza since the war escalated in October 2023, and his passing brought the number of medical personnel killed in the conflict to over 600—a staggering toll that reflects the collapse of protections for civilians and humanitarian workers in the occupied territory. Remembered by colleagues for his calm demeanor and steadfast commitment, Hammad’s life embodies the resilience of Gaza’s people and the silent heroism of those who serve others under siege. His killing has intensified global calls for accountability, the protection of aid workers, and an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of innocent life.