Mohammad Asideh and his wife were living in Australia when the latest war broke out between Israel and Gaza in October 2023.

In the following months, the young couple made a big decision to return to their homeland of Palestine to try to alleviate suffering on the ground.

Asideh works for the Australian organisation Project Rozana, which is supported by Australian government grants, and donations from everyday Australians. Asideh says the supporters are cross-faith, from Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities. He now leads a Rozana mission, which established a health clinic in the ruins of the Gaza Strip.

During an interview in his fleeting trip back to Australia, Asideh described the conditions in Gaza.

His team recruited local doctors and nurses for the tent clinic, which provides services to about 2500 people a month. He plans to expand the operation to four clinics by the end of the year.

“It’s very obvious that so many people are still suffering from the long period of time where they didn’t have enough food,” Asideh said.

He claims he has “never seen that level of trauma in [his] life anywhere in the world”.