The coalition of medical professionals is also demanding the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other healthcare workers detained by Israel.
More than 100 medical professionals from across the US, representing Doctors Against Genocide (DAG), will visit the US Senate on Wednesday to demand urgent intervention to stop the genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
In a statement, the coalition said it will demand that senators support a resolution affirming that “the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination” as well as “to express the sense of the Senate that the United States shall not deploy U.S. military assets or personnel to Gaza.”
‼️📢URGENT: DOCTORS AGAINST GENOCIDE TAKE ACTION IN DC!
On February 19, 2025, over 100 doctors, nurses, and health professionals from Doctors Against Genocide (DAG) will visit the U.S. Senate.#EndGenocide#SickFromGenocide#HumanityOnTheLine#ForcedDisplacementIsACrime pic.twitter.com/JreOJXyW3t
— Doctors Against Genocide (@docstopgenocide) February 18, 2025
“The resolution rebuts President Donald Trump’s declared support for forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians,” the statement noted.
Trump has been widely criticized for his proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly displace the population to Egypt and Jordan – a plan rejected by both countries.
UNRWA Funding
The group will also urge the Senate to restore funding to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA.
“UNRWA provides critical humanitarian services to millions of Palestinian refugees, including food, healthcare, and education,” they emphasized.
“ With its mandate expiring in 2026, defunding UNRWA now jeopardizes millions of lives,” the statement added.
🚨 Restore UNRWA Funding (S.5388) – Lifesaving aid for millions of Palestinian refugees. pic.twitter.com/SYojgPo5CV
— Doctors Against Genocide (@docstopgenocide) February 18, 2025
The US government decided to halt funding to UNRWA last year until March 2025, over Israeli allegations that some employees were involved in the October 7 operation carried out by the Palestinian Resistance.
An investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services however was unable to authenticate any of the Israeli information supplied to support the allegations.
Release Dr. Abu Safiya
Doctors Against Genocide are also urging the drafting and support of a resolution for “the absolute protection of healthcare workers and institutions worldwide.”
They also call for “the immediate release by Israel of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and over 400 healthcare workers who are illegally detained without charge and being denied legal counsel.”
Dr. Abu Safiya Detained under ‘Unlawful Combatants’ Law – Rights Group
The group said it was mobilizing doctors, nurses, and health professionals “to protect the sanctity of life and to prevent harm,” and urged human rights organizations and medical professionals “to join in amplifying this call for urgent action.”
Dr. Abu Safiya, the director of northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, is being held under arbitrary detention in Israel’s Ofer Prison after being abducted from the health facility in December 2024, along with several other doctors and healthcare workers.
On January 9, 2025, the doctor was transferred to Ofer Prison where he was held in solitary confinement for 25 days of which he endured “nearly continuous interrogation for 10 days.”
Arms Embargo Urged
Last month, Doctors Against Genocide also demanded action to end the genocide in Gaza, including an immediate arms embargo on Israel.
‘US has Power to End Genocide’ – Coalition of Doctors Demand Arms Embargo on Israel
On January 6, the coalition’s members collectively took a day of #SickFromGenocide mental health leave to protest “the ongoing genocide and human rights violations in Gaza.”
The day was marked by members “collectively” stepping away “from our work, taking a mental health sick leave as we confront the unbearable grief, moral injury, and trauma of witnessing the systematic destruction of lives, communities, and healthcare systems.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
