Aussie doctor’s return misrepresented as Palestinian arrivals from Gaza
David Williams
May 30, 2025
WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Images show Gazans who were granted instant citizenship on arrival in Australia.
OUR VERDICT
False. The images show an Australian doctor’s return to Sydney after working in Gaza.
AAP FactCheck – A photo of people waving Palestinian flags in an airport does not show “a wave of Gazans” being granted instant entry and citizenship in Australia, despite claims on social media.
The photo shows an Australian-Egyptian doctor returning to Sydney, and Gazans fleeing the Hamas-Israel conflict are not being granted instant citizenship on arrival.
The government introduced temporary humanitarian visas for Palestinians and Israelis affected by the conflict, and those already in Australia on temporary visas, in October 2024.
The claim is in a Facebook post1 featuring a screenshot of another post sharing two images of people waving Palestinian flags at what appears to be an airport arrivals hall.
“BREAKING: A new wave of Gazans has just landed at Sydney Airport—granted instant entry, thousands in government aid, and citizenship,” the caption says.
“While Arab nations won’t take a single Palestinian, Western leftist governments are opening their borders and committing national suicide.”
The claim that the images depict Gazans arriving in Australia, which has been repeated on Threads2 and Instagram3, is false.
A reverse image search reveals that one of the images is a screengrab from this TikTok video4 from May 10, 2025, showing Australian citizen and emergency medicine consultant Dr Ayman Alattar5 returning to Sydney Airport after working in Gaza.
“Dr Ayman Alattar, an Egyptian-Australian father and healer from the Illawarra, left behind his family and safety to stand with the people of Gaza,” the TikTok video caption says.
“He served on the frontlines at Al-Shifa Hospital, saving lives under fire and heartbreak.
“Today, he returns home to Sydney, not just as a doctor, but as a symbol of courage, sacrifice, and humanity.”
The TikTok video was posted two days before the Facebook post falsely claimed the screengrabs depicted Gazan refugees.
Details about Dr Alattar’s May 10 arrival in Sydney were also posted on Instagram by a user earlier that day.
Two figures visible in the TikTok video of Dr Alattar’s return can also be seen in the second image in the suspicious Facebook post.
The claim that Gazans are being granted instant entry and citizenship to Australia is also false.
The Department of Home Affairs confirmed that Palestinians and Israelis entering the country are being offered temporary visas, not instant citizenship or even a pathway to citizenship.
“The Australian Government is offering a temporary humanitarian stay visa pathway to eligible Palestinians and Israelis on a case by case basis,” a department spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
“This will afford Palestinians and Israelis impacted by the Hamas-Israel conflict support and stability.”
The temporary visa pathway, which prevents holders from applying for permanent protection, was originally introduced for 1300 Palestinians who were already in Australia in October 2024, The Guardian Australia6 reported.
Home Affairs figures showed 995 temporary humanitarian visas were offered to Palestinian and Israeli nationals between October 2024 and January 2025, the Guardian’s report said.
The Home Affairs website7 on the temporary humanitarian stay pathway related to the Hamas-Israel conflict states that individuals who accept such visas “cannot meet the criteria for a Protection visa” under the Migration Regulations 19948.
“If the Minister offers you a temporary humanitarian stay it may affect your future visa pathway options in Australia,” it says.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network9. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads10, X, BlueSky11, TikTok12 and YouTube13. (AAP)
