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Palestinian AFP photojournalist Mahmud Hams was awarded the Visa d’Or News prize on Saturday for his coverage of the conflict in Gaza. The prize, one of the most prestigious in the field of photojournalism, is supported by the Visa pour l’Image Association – Perpignan.
Amidst the bombings, with death ever-present and the constant fear of being targeted, Mahmud Hams, who has worked for AFP for over two decades in the Palestinian territories, has relentlessly continued to document the war ignited by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“I spent my childhood in Gaza, and in 23 years of photojournalism, I have witnessed every war, every conflict there. But this war is unlike any other, without precedent from the very first day,” says Hams. “My colleagues and I have had to face incredibly difficult conditions, with no red lines and no protections for anyone. There were even attacks targeting journalists’ offices, which are supposed to be off-limits in times of war.”
“Many journalists have been killed; others wounded. I’ve also lost friends and loved ones. We struggled to keep our families safe,” he explains. “Yet, despite the ever-present danger, I continued to cover the conflict because it is my duty, the one I chose when I embraced the profession of journalism.”
“I stayed calm, for my family, and to carry out my mission until the very last moment,” says Hams, who left Gaza with his family in February. “I hope the photos we take show the world that this war, and the suffering, must end,” he adds.
“Mahmud and his colleagues, photographers and journalists from AFP in the Gaza Strip, have carried out extraordinary work in every respect, considering the conditions in which they lived with their families and loved ones,” remarks Éric Baradat, AFP’s Deputy News Director for Photo, Graphics, Data and Archives. “It is staggering and often unimaginable. Their testimony will be recorded in history.”
Having remained in Gaza for several months with no way to leave, all AFP staff and their families have since been evacuated. The Agency continues to report on the war through other Palestinian journalists, working closely with its Jerusalem office, which has been leading the coverage since the beginning of the conflict.
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Photojournalist Mahmud Hams, aged 44, holds a degree in Journalism and Information from the Islamic University of Gaza. He joined AFP in 2003 and has since covered daily news in the Gaza Strip. He has also reported from Libya and Egypt. Mahmud Hams left Rafah in February 2024 with his family and has since been working for AFP in Qatar.
First Prize in the “News Story” category for his coverage of Gaza at the 10th edition of the Istanbul Photo Awards (organised by Anadolu Agency) in April 2024;
First Prize in Photography at the 25th Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Award for his photograph of Palestinian protester Saber al-Ashkar, aged 29, throwing stones during clashes with Israeli forces (“Great March of Return”) along the Gaza Strip’s border east of Gaza City on 11th May 2018.This photo also received the Varenne International Photo Award in December 2018.
Palestine’s first ever Olympian dies in Gaza from lack of treatment due to Israel’s war.
The first Palestinian athlete to participate in the Olympic games died on Wednesday at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza as a result of kidney failure due to power outages and medical shortages as a result of the ongoing Israeli war and siege of the enclave.
Majed Abu Maraheel, who passed away at the age of 61, became the first athlete to be the flag bearer and represent Palestinians at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Being a distance runner, he competed in the 10km race.
Since his breakthrough on the world stage, more than 20 Palestinian men and women have been able to compete at Olympic competitions.
“He was a Palestinian icon, and he will remain as such,” his brother told Paltoday TV after the funeral.
“We tried to evacuate him to Egypt but then the Rafah crossing was closed (by Israel), and his condition kept deteriorating.”
In his preparation for the Olympics, Abu Maraheel would often be seen on his daily runs from his home in Gaza to the Erez Crossing with Israel, which Israel closed in October after imposing a full blockade on the Strip. Last month, it was reopened for the first time since then.
He would often have to pass through that crossing for his job as a day labourer in Israel.
After participating in the Olympics, Abu Maraheel went on to become a coach for other Palestinian runners hoping to replicate his presence at the international competition.
He went on to coach Nader el-Masri, another Palestinian from Gaza who competed in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Abu Maraheel’s death highlights the grim fate of many Palestinians who are facing kidney failure in Gaza.
A report from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in March found that there were between 1,000 to 1,500 patients in Gaza with kidney failure, and that they are facing a “slow death” because of “a lack of medical and therapeutic services, medications and other necessities”.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October, Israeli forces have launched a full siege on the enclave. In addition to killing more than 37,000 Palestinians, they have repeatedly targeted and attacked Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare infrastructure.
A report late last month by the Washington Post said that only four of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have not been damaged by munitions or been raided by Israeli forces.
However, the lack of supplies in the area because of Israel’s blockade has further exacerbated the situation.
Israel denies blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, though aid agencies say they are not able to get aid in because of Israeli restrictions.
Recognition from the International Women’s Media Foundation honours Palestinian reporter’s ‘remarkable bravery in the pursuit of reporting’.
Palestinian freelance journalist Maha Hussaini has had her reporting for Middle East Eye on the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza recognised by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).
Hussaini was one of three recipients of the Courage in Journalism Awards , announced by the Washington-based foundation on Monday, which it says honours remarkable bravery in the pursuit of reporting.
Since the assault began in October, Hussaini has published dozens of stories, including a report uncovering Israeli field executions of Palestinians , which was used as evidence by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in the case accusing Israel of genocide.
Reacting to the award, Hussaini told MEE she was both happy and sad at recognition for her work.
“I am happy because it is another effort to recognise the work of Palestinian journalists and make them heard and seen,” she said. “But I am saddened because I know the cost of such recognition in a place where over 150 journalists have been killed over the course of eight months.”
The IWMF recognised Hussaini, who was a resident of Gaza City before the war, for working under strenuous circumstances during the conflict.
The Israeli attacks have posed daily threats to her life, forced her to move location multiple times and to live in desperate conditions, along with almost all of Gaza’s 2.3m Palestinian population.
At times Hussaini has been forced to work without access to electricity and internet during Israeli-imposed power outages. Her freedom of movement within Gaza, including access to her home, has also been restricted by the Israeli siege and checkpoints.
“Since the beginning of the Israeli war, it has become increasingly clear to me that journalists are targets for the Israeli army. Many of the journalists who have been killed while reporting were colleagues with whom I closely collaborated,” Hussaini told MEE.
She said that each morning she faced the possibility that she could be killed next, and quietly recited the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith often pronounced before death, each time she went out to report.
“I understand that my work carries immense risks, but I cannot say that I’m scared to be a journalist,” Hussaini added. “I have never felt hesitant to go to the field or cover any story. But I however worry that if I am killed, another voice would be silenced, another pen would be broken.”
Hussaini said she hoped that by winning the award, light would be shed on the work done by Palestinian journalists, especially when “many international media outlets choose to overlook their stories and reporting”.
She added that it was particularly important now as Israel bans international journalists from entering Gaza.
‘We need women’s voices in news media’
Hussaini won the award alongside Lauren Chooljian, a senior reporter and producer at American radio NHPR, and Monica Velásquez Villacís, an investigative journalist and presenter at Ecuadorian digital media outlet La Posta .
“We need women’s voices in news media to keep the press free and we need to fiercely protect women like Lauren, Maha, Mónica, and Shin to ensure that power is held to account and that equitable values survive,” said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz.
David Hearst, MEE’s Editor in Chief, said: “To live under conditions where there is no safe haven from drones and missiles for eight months is unbearable.
“But to report under conditions where you as a journalist are deliberately targeted, and where you witness your colleagues being killed, is a feat few other journalists can imagine. Maha deserves the highest award for her work.”
Lubna Masarwa, MEE’s Palestine and Israel bureau chief, said no words can describe how much Hussaini deserves recognition.
“Despite everything she endured – the bombs, displacement, and seeing her colleagues killed – Maha has remained resilient, professional and true to her mission of giving a voice to the Palestinian people,” Masarwa said.
The Israeli military has killed at least 150 journalists out of an estimated 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October, according to local officials. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported that it has been the deadliest period for journalists since the NGO began gathering data in 1992.
“It’s wonderful seeing Maha’s work, and by extension, that of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, being recognised by the world,” Masarwa added.
“But truly no amount of awards and words can begin to express how much she deserves recognition.”
Among Hussaini’s stories recognised by the IWMF is a report on the reality of women giving birth at home in Gaza and another featuring a girl who had to carry her paralysed six-year old brother for miles while fleeing bombing.
Hussaini’s decade as reporter
Hussaini began work as a freelance journalist in July 2014 during the Israeli offensive on Gaza, producing, preparing, and presenting reports on the conflict that resulted in the deaths of more than 2,200 Palestinians and around 60 Israelis.
She has been writing for MEE since 2018 and has covered hundreds of stories focusing on human rights and armed conflict.
In 2020, she won the Martin Adler Prize , awarded by the prestigious Rory Peck Trust, for her reporting for MEE from Gaza.
She was shortlisted for the 2023 Local Reporter Award granted by the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund.
Hussaini also works as the strategy director of the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor .
IWMF’a Courage in Journalism Awards is given annually to women journalists who “are not going to step aside, cannot be silenced, and deserve to be recognised for their strength in the face of adversity”.
Shireen Abu Akleh, a renowned Palestinian-American journalist, posthumously won the award in 2023 after being shot and killed by Israeli forces a year earlier.
With Israel and Hamas at war in Gaza, books about the Palestinian issue and its history are in demand. One best-seller, the Palestinian academic and historian Nur Masalha’s “Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History”, argues that there is an urgent need to teach a history of the land and its people based on facts, not myths.
Masalha’s book was published in English in 2018 and was made available in Arabic in 2019 by the nonprofit Centre for Arab Unity Studies, based in Beirut. The author notes on Facebook that the book has topped Amazon best-seller lists in four categories: prehistory, prehistoric archaeology, Bible hermeneutics, and antiquities.
His book examines Palestine’s distant history and the attempts of Israel’s founders to hijack that history with non-scientific interpretations, changing the names of Palestinian cities and villages to Hebrew ones, and even changing the names of Israel’s founders and leaders from the names they were born with in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere, to Hebrew names.
In his introduction to the Arabic edition, Masalha expresses the hope that his book will “draw attention to the history, heritage, and deep roots of the Palestinians, the indigenous Arab population of Palestine”.
Nur Masalha’s book explores Palestine’s history, identity, and cultures from the Late Bronze Age until the modern era. The author hopes it “challenges the colonial approach to Palestine and the malicious myth of a land without a people.”
The book tells us that “Palestine” was the land’s name throughout ancient history. The name was first documented in the Late Bronze Age, about 3,200 years ago, and later in Greek sources. The name was used between 450 B.C. and 1948 A.D. to describe “a geographical area between the Mediterranean Sea, the Jordan River and various neighbouring lands.”
The book explores Palestine’s evolution, history, identity, languages, and cultures from the Late Bronze Age until the modern era. The author points out that “the history of Palestine is often taught in the West as the history of a land, not as Palestinian history, or the history of a people.” He thus hopes his book “challenges the colonial approach to Palestine and the malicious myth of a land without a people.”
Masalha uses a wide range of evidence and contemporary sources to examine the history of Palestine.
It also seeks to trace the beginnings of the concept of Palestine in geographical, cultural, political, and administrative policies. He argues that the Israelites’ conquest of the land of Canaan, and other basic stories in the Old Testament, are “mythical narratives” that try to establish a false awareness, not an evidence-based history following facts.
Updating History Textbooks
Masalha believes that history textbooks and curricula “must be based on historical facts placed in their context, concrete evidence, and archaeological and scientific discoveries, rather than on traditional opinions, imaginary narratives from the Old Testament, and repeated religious-political doctrines that are narrated for the benefit of influential elites.”
According to the book, some historians have argued that Palestine did not exist as a formal administrative entity until the British Mandate for Palestine was created after World War I. In reality, Masalha says, Palestine has existed as an administrative entity and an official state “for more than a thousand years.”
Masalha believes that history textbooks and curricula “must be based on historical facts placed in their context, concrete evidence, and archaeological and scientific discoveries, rather than on traditional opinions [and] imaginary narratives.”
The book charts the ancient origins of the name “Palestine” among the country’s multiple religious beliefs. Masalha says that, after more than 150 years of excavations in and around Jerusalem, there is still no historical, archaeological, or practical evidence of the “Kingdom of David” around 1000 B.C. The reason there is no material or practical evidence for the “United Kingdom of David and Solomon” and for other comprehensive narratives from the Old Testament, he argues, is simple: “They are invented traditions.”
Hebraised Names
Masalha gives a list of Israeli leaders who were born with Russian and Eastern European names but later adopted names with a Hebrew ring. They include:
David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), Israel’s first prime minister and minister of defence, who used the Israeli army after 1948 to impose general Hebraisation and “purification” of surnames and personal names. Ben-Gurion was born as David Grün in an area of Poland then part of the Russia Empire. His mother’s name was Scheindel.
Moshe Sharett, who became Israel’s foreign minister in 1948 and served as prime minister from 1954 to 1955, was born as Moshe Chertok in 1894 in Kherson, then part of the Russian Empire and now in Ukraine. He chose to Hebraise his surname in 1949, after the establishment of the State of Israel.
Golda Meir, who was prime minister of Israel between 1969 and 1974, was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev in 1898, and became Golda Meyerson by marriage in 1917. It is worth noting that she did not change her surname until she became minister of foreign affairs in 1956.
Menachem Begin, founder of the Likud Party and prime minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983, was born Mieczyslaw Begin in 1913 in Brest-Litovsk, then part of the Russian Empire and now Brest, Belarus.
Yitzhak Shamir, who served as Israel’s prime minister twice between 1983 and 1992, was born Itzhak Yezernitsky in 1915 in an area that is now part of Belarus.
Ariel Sharon, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, was born Ariel Scheinerman in colonial Palestine in 1928. His parents, Shmuel and Vera, whose name later became Dvora, emigrated to Palestine from Russia.
Masalha says that until the advent of European Zionism, members of Palestine’s Arabic-speaking Jewish minority were fondly known as “the Jews, children of the Arabs,” and were an integral part of the Palestinian people, Arabic being their language, culture and heritage.
Settler Colonialism
The book also addresses the settler colonialism at the heart of the Palestine conflict. Settler colonialism is a “structure, not an event”, according to Masalha, and is “deeply embedded in European colonialism.”
He argues that British colonialists, by denying the existence and rights of indigenous peoples, often viewed vast areas of the globe as “terra nullius”, land that belonged to “nobody.”
The author finishes by stressing that “decolonising history and restoring and preserving the ancient heritage and material culture of the Palestinians and in Palestine, are two vital matters.”
He adds: “There is an urgent need to teach the ancient history of Palestine, and the history of the local Palestinians (Muslims, Christians, Samaritans, and Jews), including the production of new and critical Palestinian textbooks, for schools, institutes, and universities, as well as for millions of exiled Palestinian refugees.”
He also believes that “this understanding and education must include the new critical archaeology of Palestine, the new critical understanding of antiquities, and the memories of this country.”
Elizabeth Kassis has turned her Palestinian father’s house into a hotel, nearly 80 years after he emigrated
‘I want everyone in the diaspora to work for Palestine,’ Kassis tells Arab News
Chilean businesswoman Elizabeth Kassis has turned her ancestral home in Bethlehem’s Old City into a heritage hotel nearly 80 years after her father emigrated to Chile.
The Kassis Kassa Hotel is the Old City’s first heritage hotel, reflecting both the city’s traditional architecture and its long-standing association with the South American country.
The Palestinian community in Chile is reportedly the oldest outside the Arab world, with around half a million Palestinians moving there since the mid-19th century.
The hotel was officially opened on June 1, and the first group reservation was received on June 8.
“It was an exciting and challenging project that took years to implement,” Kassis, who was born in Chile, told Arab News. “It is rich in cultural history and has been carefully restored to preserve its original beauty and traditional Palestinian architecture.”
The project “will contribute to raising the level of tourism services in Palestine, as it is being implemented in cooperation with Bethlehem Municipality,” Kassis said.
We wanted the guests to get the full experience of what it means to live in a Palestinian house with real neighbors.
Elizabeth Kassis
“I think the experience of being a guest in a Palestinian house is a unique one. We wanted the guests to get the full experience of what it means to live in a Palestinian house with real neighbors.”
Kassis’ father visited Palestine in 1999, looking for ways to boost Bethlehem’s economy. Along with a group of Palestinian businessmen, he implemented a number of small projects at the turn of the century. He returned in 2015 and purchased his old family home. The restoration project began in 2016, led by his daughter.
Kassis said that setting up the hotel has been one of the most rewarding projects she has ever been involved in. In Chile, she managed her family’s farm and bred Arabian and Chilean horses. She has also worked as a TV presenter and is a talented visual artist who has participated in numerous exhibitions, as well as the co-founder of a band called Three Diaspora, which, she explained, “reshapes old songs that arrived in Chile with the first Palestinian immigrants.” The band has released several albums recorded with musicians from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music.
Kassis has traveled extensively, but “found herself” in Palestine. “I want everyone in the diaspora to work for Palestine. I want people to feel, smell, eat, and live Palestine. This is my duty toward Palestine,” she said.
Engineer Raed Othman, who worked with Kassis on the project, told Arab News that Kassis loves Bethlehem and Palestinian heritage in general, and has devoted herself to promoting it to the world.
Bethlehem’s mayor, Hanna Hanania, told Arab News that, through her hotel and other efforts, Kassis is “building bridges” between Palestinian expats and their national heritage, especially the tens of thousands of expatriates from Bethlehem in South America.
He added that, as part of its attempts to attract investors to the city, the municipality plans to develop Al-Najma Street, where the hotel is located.
“The fact that Kassis Hotel is on this street will contribute to enhancing our vision regarding activating the location,” Hanania said.
Fadi Qattan, co-founder of the Kassis project, said the hotel promotes Palestinian heritage and culture through its food and its “beautiful location,” adding that he hoped journalists would visit the hotel and write about Palestinian food to “promote an accurate picture of the life and heritage of Palestinians.”
He continued: “The hotel is the first project wholly owned by an expatriate Palestinian family, which will encourage expatriate Palestinian families to return and invest in Bethlehem.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Kassis said that setting up the hotel has been one of the most rewarding projects she has ever been involved in. (Supplied)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke at UN meeting to commemorate the forced displacement of Palestinians when Israel was founded 75 years ago
He called for an independent Palestinian state, full membership of the UN, and for Israel authorities to be held accountable for breaches of international law
As the UN on Monday officially commemorated the Palestinian Nakba, or “Catastrophe,” for the first time, President Mahmoud Abbas told representatives of member states that his people have the right to live in freedom and dignity in their own independent nation.
He also called for Palestine to be granted full membership of the UN; it currently holds the status of non-member observer state, which was granted in November 2012.
And he urged the organization to suspend Israel’s membership of the UN if it continues to ignore UN resolutions condemning the occupation of Palestinian territories and the building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which are considered illegal under international law.
Abbas was speaking during a meeting of the Special Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, the word Palestinians use to describe the mass displacement from their land when the state of Israel was established in 1948. Between 1947 and 1949, about 750,000 Palestinians from a population of 1.9 million were forced out of their towns and villages, which were taken over by Jewish immigrants. Most of the displaced Palestinians fled to neighboring countries, where they settled as refugees.
The UN adopted a resolution this year to officially commemorate the Nakba for the first time, although 30 nations voted against it. Addressing the representatives of the many UN member states that attended Monday’s meeting, Abbas demanded that Israel and its main state supporters, namely the UK and US, acknowledge their responsibility for the Nakba, apologize to the Palestinian people and compensate them.
He said the Palestinian people have accepted Israel’s right to exist on the 78 percent of historically Palestinian land that makes up the state of Israel, and now demand only that they be allowed to establish their own state on the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel occupied those and other Arab territories during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Abbas reiterated that he is not opposed to the Jewish people or to Judaism, but rather “those who occupy my land, regardless of their beliefs.” He added that it is “the Israeli government that is responsible for the Nakba and for the killing, displacement and destruction” of Palestinians.
He called on the international community to hold Israeli authorities responsible for their actions in the occupied Palestinian territories and violations of international law.
“The international community should not accept, or stand idly by, the false claims of Israel,” said Abbas, and “Israel shouldn’t remain a state above the law.” He said Palestinians will pursue legal challenges at the International Criminal Court over Israel’s violations of international law and war crimes committed against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
He urged the UN to grant Palestine full membership because it is qualified to be one, and chastised the organization for not already having done so.
Senegalese diplomat, Cheikh Niang, the chairperson of the special committee, opened the meeting by reiterating its strong support for the rights of the Palestinian people, and calling for the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. He described the Nakba as the “epicenter” of Palestinian suffering, and condemned recent Israeli attacks on Gaza in which scores of Palestinians have been killed or wounded.
“The death of civilians, Palestinians and Israelis alike, is unacceptable and we urge all parties involved to end the hostilities,” he said.
“The Nakba, and the suffering of generations of Palestinians, is a story rarely told in history books, too often forgotten.”
Representatives of the African Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and a number of civil society groups expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to an independent state.
They also acknowledged that the Nakba continues, as Palestinians remain under Israeli occupation and continue to suffer under similar conditions to those to which they were first subjected 75 years ago.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas speaks during a high-level event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba at the United Nations headquarters in New York on May 15, 2023. (AFP)
Syrian American Mayor Khairullah says Biden should end ‘racism’ against Muslims and Arabs
‘I don’t think it is fair to make a documentary to show that Cleopatra was Black. This is changing history,’ says Egyptologist Zahi Hawass
The Ray Hanania Radio Show, a weekly program sponsored by Arab News, kicked off its third season on Thursday with an explosive episode last night. It featured as its first guest Syrian American Mayor Mohamed T. Khairullah, who was controversially banned from the White House Eid celebration.
During his appearance on the show, Khairullah slammed President Joe Biden, saying it is his responsibility to end the “racism” and “discrimination” against Muslims and Arabs that is a part of the system.
The Ray Hanania Radio Show, which first aired in October 2020 ahead of the US elections at the time, hosts a wide array of guests tackling crucial topics in the Arab world.
One such topic tackled this season is the recent Netflix docuseries controversy surrounding the casting of Adele James, a Black actress, as Cleopatra, whom historians agree was of Greek origin.
The furor came from Egyptians and other Arabs accusing the producers of the film of appropriating their culture. The Ray Hanania Radio Show thus hosted world-renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass who set the facts straight.
“Cleopatra was a Macedonian…I really think that the reason this film is shown now (is) because some people want to say that the origins of Ancient Egypt were Black,” he said on the show, adding, “I don’t think it is fair to make a documentary to show that Cleopatra was Black. This is changing history.”
Continuing with the topic of Arab representation in Hollywood was Arab News’ very own Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.
On the show, Abbas cited Arab American writer and academic Jack Shaheen and his book “Reel Bad Arabs,” which says that, out of 1,000 films, Arabs were only presented or portrayed positively in 12 percent of them.
“As Arabs, we should not wait for Hollywood, and we should not wait for people with Orientalist agendas to tell our story. We should be the masters of our own destiny, we should be the masters of our own storytelling,” Abbas said.
“I’ll tell you one more thing before we conclude. Actions speak louder than words.”
The Ray Hanania Radio Show is broadcast live on WNZK AM 690 Radio in Greater Detroit and on WDMV AM 700 in Washington D.C. every Wednesday at 5pm EST / 12am KSA, also available on all Arab News podcast channels.
A longtime Wichita Falls physician has been honored with the International Surgical Volunteerism Award by the American College of Surgeons for his over 30 years of volunteer work with Physicians for Peace and others, according to the Wichita County Medical Society.
Dr. Eid B. Mustafa has been on at least 40 medical missions since 1988, including at least 25 with Physicians for Peace.
He has volunteered his surgical and medical expertise to help the people of the Palestinian West Bank, as well as other underserved areas of the Middle East, according to the ASC .
“Dr. Mustafa served as a leader, facilitator, and trusted advisor to Physicians for Peace for over 25 years since its founding in 1989,” according to the nonprofit organization providing education and training to health-care workers in under-resourced communities.
“He led numerous multi-specialty surgical training missions to the West Bank, and spearheaded a successful mission to Morocco in 2010,” according to an Oct. 10 statement from Physicians for Peace.
Mustafa, a plastic surgeon, received the International ACS/Pfizer Surgical Volunteerism Award at the ASC Clinical Congress Oct. 18 in San Diego.
The award recognizes surgeons who are committed to giving back to society by making significant contributions to surgical care through organized volunteer activities abroad.
Mustafa was born in the West Bank, received his medical education in Egypt and moved to the US to perform his residency and fellowship training in plastic and reconstructive surgery, according to the ACS.
After his training, he relocated to the medically underserved city of Wichita Falls where he was the only practicing plastic and reconstructive surgeon for many years, according to the ACS.
His international volunteerism began in earnest in 1987 when he met Dr. Charles Horton, founder of Physicians for Peace. Horton worked with Mustafa to initiate medical missions to the West Bank the following year.
For many years, Mustafa traveled to the West Bank for 10 to 21 days. His initial efforts focused on congenital defects, burn care and reconstruction from injury.
As his missionary work evolved, he recruited a multidisciplinary team aimed at the needs of each individual community, including specialists in urology, orthopedics, peripheral vascular surgery, off-pump cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and physical therapy.
With the advent of minimally invasive surgery during this period, he arranged for equipment and education to be provided in the West Bank to accommodate the growing interest.
His trips provided preoperative care, interoperative teaching and postoperative care for the patients. The teams Mustafa developed have provided over 2,000 procedures.
Mustafa has been responsible for all logistics, including planning with the host country, setting up patient visits, acquiring visas, and making travel and lodging arrangements for his team and educational venues.
He has conscientiously provided for the safety of his volunteers in areas with significant personal security concerns.
Mustafa’s efforts have expanded beyond surgical services.
Recognizing the burgeoning need for care of the increasing diabetic population in the West Bank, Mustafa founded centers in Al-Bireh, Nablus and Hebron to deliver dietary information, preventative foot care, smoking cessation, neuropathy education and medication management.
These centers also offer education about the long-term effects of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and ophthalmologic complications.
In addition, burn centers were established in Nablus and in Hebron due to the wartime thermal injuries seen in these areas.
These centers were not only equipped to take care of the burn injuries but provided education and training to the surgical staff, nurses and therapists.
In addition to educating U.S. medical students on the need for and realities of international surgical volunteerism, medical education is included in each of Mustafa’s mission trips, which are open and free to all who wish to attend.
These missionary conferences are coordinated with the Ministry of Health and often one of the local medical schools.
Subjects are chosen based on the needs of the medical communities and include topics such as trauma care, patient safety in the operating room, and complication assessment.
Mustafa also has been a diligent advocate and fundraiser for his medical services, gathering funds and resources from countries including the U.S., Germany, Kuwait and beyond.
He has been an international ambassador for the ACS, taking pride in his fellowship and advancing the ideals of the college.
Mustafa began teaching the principals of the Advanced Trauma Life Support® curriculum on the West Bank years ago at a time when political divisions prevented formal recognition and certification of the course.
According to Physicians for Peace, his deep commitment to trusted partnerships opened doors and ensured efficient delivery of services and materials in regions that were extremely difficult to access.
He carefully recruited team members based on experience and skill to ensure that a full cadre of medical professionals were ready to meet the needs on the ground.
“He would often include medical students in his programs, so the next generation of physicians would see firsthand the value of such service and gain a global perspective of healthcare and needs around the world,“ according to Physicians for Peace.
Mustafa, his wife Saba, and four children moved to Wichita Falls in 1982 and immediately became active in the Wichita County Medical Society and the local medical community.
He served on the WCMS Board for several years, then secretary/treasurer, president in 2000 and then past president.
He served on the editorial board of the Wichita Falls Medicine Magazine from 1985 to 1996 and the Medical Advisory Board of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission.
He served on the North Central Texas Medical Foundation Board that oversaw the Wichita Falls Family Practice Residency, the Family Health Center and Wilson Family Planning, for many years and as president for four years.
Mustafa has won numerous awards.
He was presented the 2009 Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor WCMS presents. Also, in 2009 he won the Texas Patients’ Choice Award for outstanding physicians.
Mustafa was honored with the Americanism Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution-Texas. It is given to naturalized citizens for outstanding contributions to the nation.
On the national level with Physicians for Peace, Eid Mustafa was presented the 2006 Presidents Award and, in 2013, the Medical Diplomat Award.
He has been very active in the National Arab American Medical Association, serving as president in 2007. In 2014, he received the NAAMA Outstanding Physician Award.
Mustafa has served on the board or as an officer on the Medical Advisory Board-American Near East Refugee Aid; Jerusalem Fund for Education & Community Development: Washington, DC; and the American Palestine Public Affairs Forum.
He also serves as a director for the International Women and Children Burn Foundation based in Virginia.
His medical missions have included the West Bank-Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem; Jerusalem; Amman, Jordan; and Beirut, Lebanon. He has been team leader for all the missions, traveling with teams of physicians and nurses.
Board Certified in Plastic Surgery, Mustafa practices medicine at 1201 Brook Ave at the Wichita Falls Plastic Surgery Center .
He also has added qualifications in surgery of the hand by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Dr Eid B. Mustfa, center in this updated photo, was honored by the American College of Surgeons with the international Surgical Volunteerism Award. courtesy / Wichita County Medical Society.
