More than 100 international doctors and nurses who have volunteered in Gaza since October 2023 have signed an open letter warning of the “systematic targeting” of Palestinian healthcare workers. The letter, organized by a group of medical professionals(health Workers ) including UK emergency physician James Smith, urges urgent global action to protect healthcare workers and rebuild the enclave’s shattered healthcare system.
The signatories claim that over 1,500 Palestinian health workers have been killed as of May, with many others abducted, detained, or tortured. They describe hospitals and clinics under relentless attack, with staff forced to perform surgeries without anesthesia and treat infections without antibiotics due to severe shortages caused by Israel’s blockade.
The letter calls for an immediate halt to attacks on medical facilities and ambulances, the release of detained healthcare workers, an end to the blockade, full humanitarian access, and a permanent ceasefire. “This is not a tragedy of circumstance – it is a deliberate assault on those who save lives,” the letter reads. “The world must act not only to stop the killing, but to stand in solidarity with those who continue to care for others even as they are being targeted themselves.”
The international medical professionals are demanding action to protect healthcare workers and rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system. They emphasize that the targeting of healthcare workers is a deliberate attempt to undermine the healthcare system and leave Palestinians without access to medical care.
The letter highlights the dire conditions faced by healthcare workers in Gaza, where hospitals and clinics are under attack, and medical supplies are scarce. The signatories are calling for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to protect the lives of healthcare workers who are risking their lives to care for others.
The open letter is a powerful statement of solidarity with Palestinian healthcare workers and a call to action for the international community to protect them and rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system. It emphasizes the need for immediate action to stop the killing and to stand in solidarity with those who continue to care for others despite being targeted themselves.