Scarlet Wong continued:

My Palestinian colleagues were treated with humiliation and subjugation, queuing through separate caged checkpoints and being held up at gunpoint for hours in the hot sun while I experienced freedom of movement and safety as a non Palestinian.

However, after spending 10 months in the West Bank, I experienced collective punishment regularly, including the blocking of ambulances and aid, and when our head of mission tried to bring antibiotics to help our sick colleagues in Gaza, he was ordered by the IDF to bin them at the border. The cruelty and impunity of the IDF towards Palestinians shocked me.

I’ve never seen the world the same way again, unprovoked yet protected by IDF settlers, terrorized, tortured, burnt alive Palestinian children in their villages.

If children defended themselves or retaliated by throwing rods, they would be incarcerated or shot. If this was unprovoked, we knew it was possible if provoked.

A year ago, when I went to Gaza, I tried to bring in whatever I could, a carton of scalpels after our shipment had been seized, a life straw prescription glasses for.

A child, watercolor pencils for my translator’s child, protein bars, warm clothes, medications. But now my colleagues who are entering tell me that they can’t enter Gaza without having their calories counted, in case, God forbid, they try to share their food with someone.

Anything to sustain life is forbidden from being brought in batteries, formula, medication. So does our government expect our 18 international colleagues to perform miracles under these circumstances? Our colleagues currently attest to limbless children who have no parents yet have to travel to the Gaza humanitarian fund queuing to die. Are we meant to sew their limbs back on? Are we meant to shield them from bullets as we operate? What are our medical teams expected to do in these circumstances?

Honestly, what do you think MSF, or any of us can do without food, medical supplies and safe access? So do you want to know the diagnoses of mental health in Gaza?

I diagnose human cruelty. I diagnose erasure. I diagnose genocide.

Images of child shepherds hiding behind rocks as Israeli settlers massacre their flock of mothers in traumatic Birds without anesthesia, unable to lactate from shock of little hands desperately grabbing mine to the sounds of quadcopters shooting infiltrate my sleep every night, after staying silent in exchange for access to patients, we no longer have a choice but to tell the world the truth.

As a constituent of Warringah, a citizen of this country, I am angry that MSF and humanitarians have to do what our governments will not.

Know that unless you urgently act to help end this genocide, our colleagues are likely to suffer retaliation for sharing this testimony with you today. We need you to act now. Malcolm Fraser had the courage and moral conviction to fly refugees here. He chose humanity over politics. What is our current government doing and what will our legacy be