Ayatollah Al-Sistani praises Gaza "Humanity Ambassador" doctor

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani praised Dr. Mohammed Taher Abu Ragheef, a British-Iraqi surgeon, for his life-saving medical work in Gaza.

According to an official statement, Ayatollah al-Sistani met with the doctor and listened to his account of the dire healthcare situation in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

“The Grand Ayatollah expressed his gratitude for Dr. Abu Ragheef’s dedication and prayed for his continued success,” the statement read.

Born in Najaf in the 1980s, Abu Ragheef moved to the United Kingdom with his family, where he specialized in trauma surgery, upper limb reconstruction, and peripheral nerve surgery. In early 2024, he joined the "Fajr Scientific" medical delegation to volunteer in Gaza’s hospitals.

Over six months, he performed more than 300 complex surgeries and treated over 1,200 injured patients despite critical shortages of medical supplies. One of his most remarkable achievements was successfully reattaching the severed arm of a nine-year-old girl, who had lost it in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

On January 25, 2025, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called to commend his efforts, describing him as a “humanitarian ambassador.” Following an official invitation, Abu Ragheef travelled to Iraq, where he was welcomed by the prime minister.