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Abstract
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The conflict in Gaza and Israel transcends faith, race, and nationality. As healthcare professionals committed to principles of dignity, compassion, respect for life, and alleviating human suffering, we should be at the forefront of discussions
The tragic events unfolding in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a failure of our collective humanity. We must all condemn the atrocities committed against Israeli and Palestinian civilians and the indiscriminate killing of thousands of people in the strongest terms. Reactions to these events sadly expose our unwillingness and inability as a society to have nuanced and compassionate conversations. As doctors of Muslim and Jewish heritage who have worked together with colleagues in Palestine supported by the Foundation for Family Medicine in Palestine (https://familymedicinepalestine.org/), we think that the current crisis transcends divisions of race, culture, and religion, and requires a shared humanitarian response that is currently lacking.
Dehumanising language has been used by both sides to justify indiscriminate violence targeting men, women, children, and older people.12 The brutal invasion of Israel by Hamas militants on 7 October left hundreds of people dead and seriously injured, and profoundly rocked the collective psyche of a nation in permanent fear of decimation. The military response of the Israeli government has, in turn, led to injury and death of people in Gaza on a previously unimaginable scale--which many, including United Nations representatives, have attributed to "collective punishment" and genocide34 of the population through the wholesale destruction of schools, hospitals, and United Nations shelters and cutting off essential supplies of food, water, fuel, medicine, and humanitarian aid. International organisations including the United Nations and World Health Organization have warned of the harm caused by these actions, which are contrary to international humanitarian law and conform with recognised stages on the pathway to genocide.567 Tragically, some of the Palestinian medical colleagues with whom we had worked in the past have been killed or injured, and we are deeply concerned about healthcare services being destroyed and overwhelmed, running out of supplies, and restricting healthcare to lifesaving treatment only...
Language: en |