GAZA, December 18, 2013 (WAFA) – The founder of the Gaza
Community Mental Health Program and prominent human right advocate Eyad Sarraj passed
away in an Israeli hospital on Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 70.
Sarraj was admitted to an Israeli hospital for treatment
following serious deterioration in his health, according to a family member.
Throughout his career, Sarraj won many international awards;
the most notable were the Physicians for Human Rights Award (1997), the Martin
Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (1998) and the Juan José López-Ibor
prize in psychiatry (2010).
Sarraj has also served as secretary-general of the National
Reconciliation Committee.
K.F./M.S.
