Irish surgeon shares firsthand account of Gaza crisis on RTÉ Prime Time tonight

Tonight, Irish vascular trauma surgeon Dr. Morgan McMonagle will share his firsthand experiences from the front lines in Gaza which he documented through a video diary recorded in recent weeks for Prime Time.
Dr. McMonagle recently returned from working in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The programme will feature footage taken by Morgan McMonagle, showing the horrific injuries suffered by Palestinian children and the challenges faced by medics in treating them, particularly as the recent ceasefire ended and the hospital was overwhelmed with casualties from a devastating Israeli offensive.

Prime Time will also show the aftermath of the hospital being hit by a missile strike as Dr. McMonagle and his colleagues were working inside last week. On March 23, Nasser Hospital was hit by an Israeli missile. Five people were killed and the entire floor had to be evacuated. Dr. McMonagle was inside the building and documented the events showcasing the damage that was done to the health care facility and how they had to continue caring for patients.

“We spent pretty much most of the night in the operating room. We had a blast injury. And then we had a girl, 11 years of age, with severe lower limb injuries and upper limb injuries from bullets from an Apache helicopter…She has a very high chance of losing both lower limbs…then her dad came in with severe injuries as well. He died during the night. That is the reality of what we’re dealing with.”

An estimated 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. In the programme tonight, Dr. McMonagle describes the scenes and severe challenges faced by healthcare workers and patients.

“It’s a very inhuman and inhumane, mostly inhuman, thing to do to deny healthcare in a conflict,” he states.

Having now returned to Ireland, Dr. McMonagle will be in studio to discuss the realities he witnessed.

Watch the full interview on Prime Time tonight April 1, at 9:35pm RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and read the online report on RTÉ.ie/primetime.

-ENDS- 

Date: 1 April 2025

RTÉ Communications: Sharon Sorohan

Notes to Editor: 
Please note this footage contains distressing images.

The programme will also feature a discussion on tariffs ahead of the US planned announcement tomorrow.

Prime Time broadcasts Tuesday and Thursdays at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and stream on RTÉ Player.
You can read special reports from the Prime Time team on rte.ie/primetime
Follow @RTE_PrimeTime on X/Twitter for regular content, #rtept