The Wheeler Centre

Dr Bushra Othman, editor of The Weight of Witness, joins contributor Dr Saya Aziz to reflect on their experiences volunteering on medical missions to Gaza.

The Weight of Witness brings together 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. Its essays speak to courage, humanity, resistance and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people, and document 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 fellow contributor Dr Saya Aziz and host Antoun Issa to discuss the human 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:
This event contains discussion of violence, war, conflict in the Middle East, mass trauma and casualties and harm to children. 

Presented in partnership with PEN Melbourne