https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWr7EKBsUs
WHO and UN agencies have reported at least 772 attacks on health care,
3 with
94% of hospitals damaged or destroyed2 and more than 1500 health-care workers killed4—the highest toll ever recorded.
5,6
No independent or neutral organisation has provided evidence that Hamas
deliberately used hospitals or other civilian facilities as human
shields.
7
Even if proven in the future, such claims could never justify
systematic attacks on the health-care system. This is a violation of
international humanitarian law and demands explicit condemnation.
1,2
Most medical and surgical societies worldwide have remained silent or
issued vague statements about
Gaza's healthocide. A recent analysis
found that only 24·5% of US speciality societies commented publicly on
the Gaza conflict,
8 in contrast to previous crises in which medical societies mobilised resources and expressed support.
9–12The
value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or
political alliances. In fact, both Israeli and Palestinian physicians
took care of those injured during the tragedy of Oct 7, 2023—proof that
health care can be empowered to build bridges of trust.
13
Organisations should also try to balance action to end the Gaza
catastrophe with an attempt to support physicians and scientists in
Israel who are making an effort to change the situation from within.
This
is beyond politics; this is about care. Some say that medical societies
must remain apolitical. However, ignoring political issues that affect
health means ignoring real barriers to care. Staying silent while
pretending to be neutral is, in effect, a form of complicity.
The
principle of medical neutrality, grounded in international humanitarian
law, does not mean indifference; it obliges us to condemn any erosion
of this norm as a threat to both care and ethics. As the World Medical
Association's Declaration of Geneva affirms, physicians must act in the
interest of humanity, especially in times of crisis.
14The Israeli Medical Association urges the provision of medical assistance to all humans indiscriminately.
15
As doctors, we must support all victims of conflict, denounce attacks
on medical staff and facilities, and ensure care reaches those in need (
appendix).
Let
us be remembered for our solidarity, not our silence. This is a
decisive moment. Future generations will judge whether we defended life
or looked away. Medicine is more than science—it is a moral duty. And
when that duty is under threat, silence becomes betrayal.
De Vogli, R ∙ Montomoli, J ∙ Abu-Sittah, G ∙ et al.
Break the selective silence on the genocide in Gaza
Lancet. 2025; 406:688-689
Between October, 2023 and May, 2025, there were 720 documented attacks on health-care targets, including 125 health facilities, 34 hospitals, and 186 ambulances.5 Gaza has recorded the highest numbers of health-care worker fatalities (over 1400 deaths), UN staff deaths (295 deaths), and journalist fatalities (212 deaths) in any recent conflict zone.6
Starvation is being used repeatedly and relentlessly as a weapon of war.7
Leading human rights organisations, UN agencies, and UN Special Rapporteurs have officially recognised the genocide in Gaza.8 This position is also supported by a broad and distinguished group of genocide scholars.
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