![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Mr-Morgan-McMonagle-UHW-1024x903.jpg\")
Mr Morgan McMonagle<\/p>\nThe European Union (EU) and the rest of the international community need to do more about increased attacks on healthcare workers and infrastructure in conflict zones, an Irish surgeon has told the Medical Independent (MI).<\/p>\n
Mr Morgan McMonagle, Vascular, Trauma and Humanitarian Surgeon, University Hospital Waterford, addressed the IHCA Annual Conference in Kilkenny on his recent experience working in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Mr Morgan McMonagle<\/p>\n
Mr McMonagle said that Gaza \u201chas fallen off the radar\u201d over the last year.<\/p>\n
However, he pointed out that the conflict \u201cis particularly gruesome at the moment\u2026 and as one of my American colleagues said the first time I went: \u2018It\u2019s worse than hell.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In his address, Mr McMonagle outlined how many of the patients he treated in Gaza were children with shrapnel wounds.<\/p>\n
Mr McMonagle explained that while gunshot injuries were also common, shrapnel wounds were more prevalent, frequently affecting joints and limbs.<\/p>\n
He highlighted the significant challenges posed to hygiene and sanitation in the region as a result of Israeli military attacks on water and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Mr McMonagle pointed out that infection is another significant complication among the patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfection is an enormous risk,\u201d he told the meeting.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Mr McMonagle has worked in Ukraine, the West Bank, Lebanon, and most recently in Gaza.<\/p>\n
He was surgical clinical lead in setting up the first field hospital in Rafah in 2024. He later returned to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and was on duty when it was bombed in March 2025. Mr McMonagle returned in October 2025 for his third mission to Gaza during the current conflict.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organisation and other bodies have highlighted the increasing frequency of attacks on healthcare workers and infrastructure in conflict areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt certainly focused the mind when you are there,\u201d Mr McMonagle told MI after his address.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore going into a conflict zone, there is a lot of anxiety anyway, because where you have humans, you always have the risk of human error. So, there is always the risk that an error could end up killing you or injuring you.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now they are indiscriminately targeting hospitals, which is against all international law\u2026 but it doesn\u2019t seem to matter. They are doing the same in the Ukraine, doing the same in Iran, and hospitals have been targeted in Gaza as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He criticised the international community, particularly the EU, for being \u201cweak\u201d in responding to Israeli military attacks on medical facilities.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the challenges facing his Palestinian medical colleagues, he told MI that they were under enormous pressure treating injured patients, including children, who are from their own communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they also have their own families,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to look after their families \u2013 to get food and clean water for their families \u2013 but then still come back into work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The European Union (EU) and the rest of the international community need to do more about increased attacks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-668621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}