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Leaving Gaza - Emad, from Gaza to Marseille

31 Jul 25

Leaving Gaza - Emad, from Gaza to Marseille

31 July 2025

Portrait of Emad at la pointe rouge, Marseille. Emad, 36, was evacuated from Gaza to France in March 2025. He has worked for MSF for the past 9 years in Gaza, as medical team leader and head of nursing activities. Originally from Jabalia camp in Northern Gaza, he recently arrived in Marseille with his wife and three daughters. One of them, Sila, 7, has a heart disease and was already waiting for a medical evacuation before October 2023. Marseille, France, June 2025. Caption
Portrait of Emad at la pointe rouge, Marseille. Emad, 36, was evacuated from Gaza to France in March 2025. He has worked for MSF for the past 9 years in Gaza, as medical team leader and head of nursing activities. Originally from Jabalia camp in Northern Gaza, he recently arrived in Marseille with his wife and three daughters. One of them, Sila, 7, has a heart disease and was already waiting for a medical evacuation before October 2023. Marseille, France, June 2025.
© Mohammad Ghannam/MSF

Emad, 36, was evacuated with his family from Gaza to France in March 2025. Together, they survived the Israeli forces' genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza, subjected to hunger, bombings, and multiple displacements. A nursing supervisor, Emad has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for the past nine years in several health facilities in Gaza. His seven-year-old daughter, Sila, suffers from a congenital heart condition, which eventually led to their evacuation to France, where she is now receiving medical care.

 

Currently, at least 12,000 patients, including thousands of children like Sila, need to be evacuated urgently from Gaza to access vital medical care. Here is their story.

 

Gaza genocide: How MSF is responding

The genocidal campaign waged by Israeli forces in Gaza for over 20 months has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. As of July 2025, over 56,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including 12 MSF staff. 

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