Dr. Omar Farwana (‘Omar Farwāna) (عمر صالح عمر فروانة) was a prominent Palestinian gynecologist, educator, and humanitarian known for his lifelong contributions to medicine, public health, and education in Gaza. He served as an assistant professor and later as Dean of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he played a central role in developing the medical curriculum and mentoring future generations of Palestinian physicians.

Born on 7 February 1956, in the al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, Dr. Farwana attended al-Imam al-Shafi`i School for his primary education and completed his preparatory and secondary schooling at al-Zaytun and Palestine Schools. In 1974, he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, where he graduated with honors in 1982.

Driven by a commitment to further his expertise and serve his community, Dr. Farwana pursued postgraduate studies in physiology at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He later continued his specialization in andrology and infertility in Australia. Upon returning to Gaza, he not only served as a medical educator but also remained actively involved in charitable health initiatives, notably as a board member of the Friends of the Patient Charitable Society. 

As well as being an active researcher, his work centered on evidence-based health care in Palestine.

Dr. Farwana’s dedication to humanitarian service extended beyond the classroom and clinic. On 17 December 1992, he was among the hundreds of Palestinians deported by Israeli authorities to Marj al-Zohour in southern Lebanon. There, he assumed leadership of the medical committee and operated the camp’s clinic, providing vital medical care under difficult conditions. Reports describe the clinic as operating “around the clock,” performing surgeries and delivering medical care not only to deportees but also to local residents in the surrounding area.

Dr. Farwana came from a family with a deep cultural and intellectual legacy. His father, Saleh Omar Farawneh (1936–2013), was a noted Palestinian poet, best known for his poetry collection Palestinian Vocabulary, published in two volumes (2004 and 2011), which captured the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people.

On 15 October 2023, Dr. Omar Farwana, along with his wife, children, and grandchildren, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his home in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of southwestern Gaza City.

Dr. Farwana is remembered as a compassionate physician, dedicated teacher, and community leader. His legacy endures in the many students he mentored, the patients he healed, and the humanitarian principles he upheld throughout his life.

Photo credits: Palestinians are not numbers