Abed El Hameed Qaradaya

Their life

Abed El Hameed Qaradaya (43) was MSF’s physiotherapy activities manager in Gaza and a cornerstone of its rehabilitation work for about 18 years. He specialized in physiotherapy and occupational therapy, led the introduction of 3D physiotherapy technologies in Gaza, and adapted local solutions (custom compression suits, tailored walkers) to help burn victims, amputees and other patients despite chronic supply shortages. He is survived by his wife and two children.

For nearly two decades Abed worked with MSF in Gaza, managing the physiotherapy program and developing rehabilitation capacity under extremely difficult conditions. He collaborated with tailors and logisticians to innovate low-resource solutions (for example compression garments for burns and customized walkers for amputees), and pushed to establish a 3D physiotherapy/rehab unit to bring new technologies into Gaza’s health system. Colleagues described him as optimistic, compassionate and deeply committed to restoring patients’ dignity and mobility. His work supported trauma, burns and long-term rehabilitation services across MSF’s Gaza projects.

How they died

Shrapnel injuries from the October 2 attack; he succumbed to those wounds on Sunday, 5 October.

MSF says the injuries were sustained during an attack on Thursday 2 October in Deir Al-Balah that struck a street where MSF staff — wearing clearly marked MSF vests and waiting for a bus to a field hospital — were standing. Abed received emergency care but later died of the critical shrapnel wounds on 5 October. The same attack killed MSF colleague Omar Hayek and injured others.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources