We are proud to announce that the recipient of this year’s Liberty Victoria Voltaire Human Rights award is Dr Mohammed Mustafa, better known as Dr Mo.
Dr Mo is an English-Australian emergency physician trainee, humanitarian, and former international athlete of Palestinian heritage. He undertook two missions as a volunteer at hospitals in Gaza with international humanitarian organisations in June 2024 and again in March 2025. In his second mission, Dr Mo spent five weeks working on Gaza’s medical front line in the emergency department, trying to provide every possible kind of medical care.
Dr Mo is dedicated to using his platform to champion the rights of Gaza’s children to healthcare, dignity and life. Most notably, Dr Mo has supported access to establish a maternity and neonatal hospital in Gaza and is currently campaigning and fundraising to construct apurpose-built Children’s Hospital in Khan Younis in Southern Gaza.
The World Health Organisation reports that more than a thousand health care workers have been killed, and that it has verified 654 strikes on Gaza’s medical facilities. Most hospitals in Gaza are no longer functioning. The situation for the people of Gaza continues to deteriorate, as they struggle survive what the International Court of Justice has determined is plausible genocide, including escalating destruction of their housing, widespread starvation, and severely restricted access to humanitarian aid.
Since returning from Gaza, Dr Mo has been actively sharing his firsthand experiences to raise awareness and to rally both the Australian public and government around a united commitment to delivering life-saving medical aid in Gaza, particularly for children enduring unimaginable suffering.
In June 2025, Dr Mo embarked on an advocacy tour across Australia, Ireland, Scotland, France and the UK to raise awareness and support for a new children’s hospital in Gaza. His story has resonated widely, with coverage in The Journal describing his mission as a campaign to bring hope to a devastated region by building “a sanctuary for healing” for children. His committed efforts are making a huge impact: only last week, in response to Dr Mo’s advocacy, the UK Foreign Secretary went on record stating that he will support the Maternal and Neonatal Hospital in gaining access to Gaza, and theIrish Government pledged its full support.
It is difficult to hear Dr Mo speak about his time in the hospitals of Gaza, the overwhelming conditions he encountered, and the agonising decisions he was forced to make as children suffered and died from horrific injuries, with little to no access to even the most basic medications, equipment, or facilities. It should make us all feel deep discomfort about the failure of our governments and international institutions to stop this suffering.
But it is also incredibly powerful and energising to have the opportunity to hear from someone who has stepped forward – in circumstances that come with immense risk – instead of looking away.
Dr Mo represents the scores of people who have felt compelled to bring their skills to the front line of the atrocities in Gaza, and use their voice to unite people around the world in demanding an end to the injustices inflicted by Israel.
We recognise Dr Mohammed Mustafa with the Liberty Victoria Voltaire Human Rights Award and join him in his urgent call to save the lives of the children of Palestine.
Voltaire Awards Dinner 2025
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We are proud to announce that the recipient of this year’s Liberty Victoria Voltaire Human Rights award is Dr Mohammed Mustafa, better known as Dr Mo.
Dr Mo is an English-Australian emergency physician trainee, humanitarian, and former international athlete of Palestinian heritage. He undertook two missions as a volunteer at hospitals in Gaza with international humanitarian organisations in June 2024 and again in March 2025. In his second mission, Dr Mo spent five weeks working on Gaza’s medical front line in the emergency department, trying to provide every possible kind of medical care.
Dr Mo is dedicated to using his platform to champion the rights of Gaza’s children to healthcare, dignity and life. Most notably, Dr Mo has supported access to establish a maternity and neonatal hospital in Gaza and is currently campaigning and fundraising to construct a purpose-built Children’s Hospital in Khan Younis in Southern Gaza.
The World Health Organisation reports that more than a thousand health care workers have been killed, and that it has verified 654 strikes on Gaza’s medical facilities. Most hospitals in Gaza are no longer functioning. The situation for the people of Gaza continues to deteriorate, as they struggle survive what the International Court of Justice has determined is plausible genocide, including escalating destruction of their housing, widespread starvation, and severely restricted access to humanitarian aid.
Since returning from Gaza, Dr Mo has been actively sharing his firsthand experiences to raise awareness and to rally both the Australian public and government around a united commitment to delivering life-saving medical aid in Gaza, particularly for children enduring unimaginable suffering.
In June 2025, Dr Mo embarked on an advocacy tour across Australia, Ireland, Scotland, France and the UK to raise awareness and support for a new children’s hospital in Gaza. His story has resonated widely, with coverage in The Journal describing his mission as a campaign to bring hope to a devastated region by building “a sanctuary for healing” for children. His committed efforts are making a huge impact: only last week, in response to Dr Mo’s advocacy, the UK Foreign Secretary went on record stating that he will support the Maternal and Neonatal Hospital in gaining access to Gaza, and the Irish Government pledged its full support.
It is difficult to hear Dr Mo speak about his time in the hospitals of Gaza, the overwhelming conditions he encountered, and the agonising decisions he was forced to make as children suffered and died from horrific injuries, with little to no access to even the most basic medications, equipment, or facilities. It should make us all feel deep discomfort about the failure of our governments and international institutions to stop this suffering.
But it is also incredibly powerful and energising to have the opportunity to hear from someone who has stepped forward – in circumstances that come with immense risk – instead of looking away.
Dr Mo represents the scores of people who have felt compelled to bring their skills to the front line of the atrocities in Gaza, and use their voice to unite people around the world in demanding an end to the injustices inflicted by Israel.
We recognise Dr Mohammed Mustafa with the Liberty Victoria Voltaire Human Rights Award and join him in his urgent call to save the lives of the children of Palestine.