Retired Doctor Returns to Gaza, Facing Silent Threat

Dr. Younis Awadallah, a paediatrician almost 70 years old, does not hesitate to say that “humanitarian work cannot be retired.”

After a successful career lasting 43 years, during which he worked in Saudi Arabia, for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and then UNICEF, Dr. Awadallah retired at the end of 2021.

But that retirement was short-lived. As the crisis in Gaza escalated and polio reappeared, he returned to the field. Doing so was not just a job assignment; he describes it as a “message of loyalty” to his profession, the children of Gaza, and the institution that gave him so much.

Dr. Awadallah’s return was driven by a “deep inner sense of responsibility and belonging.”

“I felt that my long experience and field knowledge could make a difference in these critical times,” he told UN News.

Dr. Awadallah’s story was the focus of the film The Silent Threat to Gaza, produced by UNICEF in conjunction with World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on 19 August. The organization emphasises that the film is a powerful testament to the resilience of humanitarian workers facing the dangers of conflict.

Named in May on Time Magazine’s TIME100 Health List for leading “a heroic vaccination campaign” that reached 600,000 children in Gaza, Dr. Awadallah was one of the lead subjects of the 32-minute documentary. The film follows him and his colleague Fairuz Abu Warda, who, during brief periods of last year’s ceasefire, delivered lifesaving vaccines to children across the Gaza Strip.

UNICEF said their courage underscores a fundamental fact: when humanitarian principles are adhered to, workers are protected and given safe, timely access, and lives can be saved even in the most fragile environments. The agency stressed that the courage of humanitarian workers like Dr. Awadallah and Ms. Warda reinforces the urgent need for principled action and international accountability.

Dr. Awadallah told UN News how exhaustion, hunger, and fear were part of their daily routine under constant bombardment from air and sea.

However, their priority was to keep vaccinations effective and reach every child, he said, recalling moments when he saw colleagues collapse from exhaustion and then immediately return to work.

Dr. Awadallah points out that every scene in the vaccination campaign, from the smile of a child to the insistence of the teams to reach the farthest house despite security challenges, reminded him that “humanitarian work cannot be retired.”

“I provide humanitarian work, and even if I retire, it does not apply to humanitarian work," he said.

“The Silent Threat to Gaza was not just a film or a depiction of events, but a living testimony to the strength of will and the power of hope.”

He believes that every shot in the film was “a message to the world that despite wounds, deaths, and hardships, Gaza can rise and protect its children.”

Despite the risks to their lives, Dr. Awadallah and fellow humanitarian workers in Gaza continue their work under constant bombardment.

“Fear knows no way to their hearts,” he said. “We hear explosions and still go to do our work. We are moving towards our goal and are used to it.”

He said more than 350 medical personnel have been killed, hundreds injured, and over 1,300 arrested.

He appealed to the world that the protection of those who lend a helping hand “is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for ensuring that life and hope reach those in need,” and that it is a “humanitarian duty” as important as providing assistance itself.

After decades of experience, Dr. Awadallah said he has learned that human beings possess incredible resilience.

“Resilience is not the absence of pain and suffering, but the ability to persevere and rise despite tragedies,” he said. “I saw mothers smiling and laughing at their children despite bleeding and pain. I saw patients facing pain with a smile and hope.”

Humanitarian workers’ roles go beyond providing treatment and material assistance; they also promote hope, support people psychologically, and maintain their strength in the face of adversity.

On World Humanitarian Day, Dr. Awadallah pays tribute to all those who walk toward danger rather than away from it.

“We are throwing ourselves into peril for the sake of others,” he said.

Humanitarian workers in Gaza and worldwide – regardless of their specialties – “witness that mercy knows no boundaries and human solidarity can flourish even during wars or amid rubble,” he added.

He hopes to reunite with his family soon.

“My message today is that humanitarian work is not just a profession, but a moral and humanitarian obligation. I left my family and haven’t seen them for two years because I believe in this work.”