TRANSCRIPT
At Perth Airport, silence gave way to hugs and tears.
(Sounds of people cheering)
Dr Mohammed Mustafa given a hero's welcome after five weeks on the frontline of Gaza's health crisis.
It's a title Dr Mustafa humbly rejects.
"I'm not a hero and I hate when people say that, right? I didn't do this to be praised. I didn't do this for any kind of praise or anything like that. I did this because my blood is not more important than those children's blood in Gaza. And just because I have a blue passport that says Australian on it, doesn't mean that I'm more worthy of living than those children."
Three weeks ago, SBS News spoke with Dr Mustafa... as explosions were heard around the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
Mohammed Mustafa: "We need to get medical equipment in here. Can you hear that?"
Richelle Harrison Plesse: "I didn't hear that."
Mohammed Mustafa: "That's the bombs going off right now. It's pretty close by, but this has been going on relentlessly all night. I need the Australian public to realise the gravity of this situation."
Dr Mustafa says he was working 23-hour shifts in what he calls an impossible situation, with overwhelming numbers of casualties and a severe shortage of medicine and equipment.
"We would have people die waiting for their operations. We would have people die, because we didn't have scissors to cut through clothes to open people and try and control areas of breathing."
Dr Mustafa says the experience for medical workers in Gaza…. can be traumatising.
"There was a lot of children that died that night. There was just a lot people that I just couldn't help. It's part of the reason why I am keeping up the fight."
Now that Dr Mohammed Mustafa is back in Australia, he’s calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to meet with returning aid workers like himself to hear what they saw in Gaza, and to help come up with a plan for medical support.
"I just want Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong to sit down and talk with us. We've reached out to them so many times."
The Prime Minister has responded to a question from SBS about Dr Mustafa's calls for a direct meeting:
Anthony Albanese: "With respect. I haven't been sitting down watching the news for Mr Mustafa. I'm not aware of those (reports).
Anna Henderson: "Are you open to hearing from them?"
Anthony Albanese: "I don't know the issue that you raise, so I don't know who Mr Mustafa is. I'll have a look at it and give it consideration."
In the meantime, Dr Mustafa continues his plea for Australia's support.
"Help us in order to help those children in Gaza who are dying every single day."
As for returning to Gaza—Dr Mustafa says he hasn’t ruled it out.
