Nurse awarded medal by King for Gaza aid

A nurse in her 70s says she has no plans to stop working after winning an award from King Charles for her life-saving work in Gaza.

Chris Hunter travelled twice to Gaza as a volunteer to deliver frontline aid with UK-Med and described the mass casualties she dealt with as a "conveyor belt of carnage" amongst the backdrop of nearby explosions.

Ms Hunter, who lives in Grimsby and is a theatre nurse at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, was presented with the Humanitarian Medal at Buckingham Palace.

"I know my family would prefer I just put my feet up and started knitting or something – but I'd far rather help stitch up patients who need our help in Gaza," she said.

The field hospitals where she worked in Al Mawasi and Deir El Balah, established with Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funding, have treated more than 300,000 patients as part of the UK Government's humanitarian response to the Israel/Gaza crisis.

Ms Hunter served with the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps for 32 years which took her to places such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

She said she has "no plans to put her feet up" and is awaiting news from UK-Med regarding another deployment to Gaza or Ukraine.

Ms Hunter said: "I know I am elderly and aged, but I just feel as though I've got so much to offer.

"I have a lot of experience and skills which are best used supporting people who really need our help in Gaza.

"You are in that wooden box for a long time when you die, so I am trying to make the most of being fit and healthy."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "This new medal recognises the incredible dedication and selfless service of individuals on the frontline of the UK's responses to some of the world's most devastating crises."

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