The Weight of Witness: Stories from Gaza

The Weight of Witness brings the firsthand accounts of 40 Australian and New Zealand medical professionals who have volunteered in Gaza, documenting what they witnessed and endured working on the frontline of a healthcare system under extraordinary strain.

Edited and introduced by Dr Bushra Othman, the collection is a tribute to the extraordinary work of volunteer medical staff in times of war. It speaks to courage, humanity, resistance and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people, and documents the profound impact of caring for others amid devastation.

Othman, the first Australian-Palestinian and Muslim Australian woman to volunteer as a surgeon in Gaza, joins contributor Dr Saya Aziz and host Antoun Issa to discuss the experiences behind the collection – from the mental toll of the work to the difficult task of putting pain, grief and anger on the page.

Content warning: discussion of violence, war, conflict in the Middle East, mass trauma and casualties and harm to children.