"I choose to live until I die." Bearing witness to Gaza's resilience in the face of genocide

Having recently returned from Gaza, South African nurse and MSF medical coordinator, Anna Cilliers shares how psychological warfare has affected MSF colleagues, their families and patients.

Even with the declaration of a ceasefire, the emotional scars from two years of war will haunt the people of Gaza and the West Bank for years to come. For thousands of Palestinians, recovering their mental health will be a long and difficult journey. In an interview filmed on October 6th, days before the declaration of a ceasefire agreement, Anna details her experience working in Gaza.

MSB249907

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Seeing Gaza's resilience in the midst of genocide

"I choose to live until I die." Bearing witness to Gaza's resilience in the face of genocide

Subt. English

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Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB249907

Date taken / Date Recorded 13/10/2025 11:28 AM

Country Palestinian Territories

Commissioning section MSF-SOUTH AFRICA

Photographer / videographer / producer Vusimuzi Shiburi

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, Social Media, MSF Publications

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 4m3s

Maximum Size 1080px × 1920px 612.79 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:08:26
Unknown
they refused to be put down by what was going on. They had that courage to continue every day.

00:00:08:26 - 00:00:27:24

00:00:27:24 - 00:00:44:10
Unknown
So it is it is difficult to to to describe the, the devastation. That the Palestinians were subjected to and that that we, we've seen every day

00:00:44:22 - 00:00:51:26
Unknown
I do not think we understand the the extent of the mental health toll

00:00:51:26 - 00:00:57:17
Unknown
on our colleagues and on the patients and on the general population

00:00:57:17 - 00:01:00:08
Unknown
And at the moment they cope,

00:01:00:08 - 00:01:14:18
Unknown
Our staff do not take leave because if they take leave, they go and sit in a tent or they are confronted with the with what they see every day.

00:01:14:21 - 00:01:25:23
Unknown
So they rather come to work and keep busy. For them, it is, it is, it's a way of, of coping as well.

00:01:27:00 - 00:01:29:21
Unknown
some of our colleagues were killed as well.

00:01:29:21 - 00:01:39:15
Unknown
Doctors, nurses, cleaners, laundry workers, guards.

00:01:39:15 - 00:01:45:02
Unknown
And that also have an effect on on everyone working in our facilities.

00:01:45:02 - 00:01:51:07
Unknown
I do not have the words, really to say.

00:01:51:10 - 00:01:58:08
Unknown
How devastating it is. What? We've, What what the people in Gaza are experiencing.

00:01:58:08 - 00:02:14:23
Unknown
the consistent noise of, of of drones that were doing surveillance, it's always there. And, it's, it's really psychological at times, when you just wish that the drone goes away

00:02:14:23 - 00:02:41:26
Unknown
know, it can drive someone really mad. And then there was also then the consistent bombing. So it is it is not only what you see, it is what you hear. And, I mean, when the bombs, when you hear the bombs fall, you just wonder, where is it, you know, and you wonder if some of the people you know are, are being killed.

00:02:44:02 - 00:02:52:23
Unknown
Let go!

00:02:52:23 - 00:03:06:01
Unknown
When I greeted, one of our colleagues, he said to me, you know, we can say we will see each other again. But the truth is, we do not know if we will see each other again.

00:03:06:01 - 00:03:12:09
Unknown
And then you have wonderful people, you know, they one of our other colleagues,

00:03:12:09 - 00:03:20:03
Unknown
she said to me, you know, I'm not I choose to live until I die.

00:03:20:06 - 00:03:26:14
Unknown
She was always,

00:03:26:16 - 00:03:54:10
Unknown
It was amazing how positive she was in this environment. And, and I can say that of, of all our colleagues, they, they, they refused to be put down by what was going on. They had that courage to continue every day. And and I could see it in our patients as well.

Keywords

Conflict

Mental Health