I met more than a dozen healthcare workers who were imprisoned and tortured without reason other than that they were working in the hospital on the day of October 7, 2023.
I recently spent two medical missions in Gaza working in the emergency department. During both of my missions, each for four weeks at a time and at two different hospitals including Al-Aqsa and Nasser, I saw children with sniper shots to the head, chest and abdomen. I saw cases of severe malnutrition in children that I never thought I could see in my entire career. Nearly every child presented with infectious skin diseases and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Clean water and sanitation are non-existent for most people in Gaza. I will never forget the nine-month-old baby girl who died of organ failure because she was repeatedly exposed to contaminated water, and it was completely preventable if water filtration supplies were allowed to enter Gaza.
Moreover, medical supplies needed to take care of these patients were profoundly limited due to the blockade of aid by the Israeli military and this was compounded by the direct attacks on hospitals and ambulances working so diligently to do what they could for these unfortunate patients.
During my time in Gaza, I witnessed firsthand the deplorable plight of Palestinian doctors and other medical workers doing their best under horrific conditions. I also saw how the Israeli military targets Gaza’s healthcare system. Demonstrative of that was the abduction of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The international community must act immediately to ensure the release of Dr. Safiya and other medical workers and to end Israel’s destruction of the already frail healthcare system of Gaza. He has no charges against him but continues to be held in dire conditions. He should be at the forefront of helping to rebuild the healthcare sector.
The Palestinian healthcare workers have been working tirelessly for over a year in the most inhumane conditions. What is more noteworthy is that most of these workers are volunteers without pay knowing well they have targets on their backs. Their work ethic exceeds any of those I have ever encountered in my career.
I met more than a dozen healthcare workers who were imprisoned and tortured without reason other than that they were working in the hospital on the day of October 7, 2023.
They were detained for months at a time and subjected to abhorrent acts of violence. Since the start of this horrific aggression, at least 310 Palestinian healthcare workers have been taken captive by Israeli military. As noted by Human Rights Watch, “The detention of healthcare workers in the context of the Israeli military’s repeated attacks on hospitals in Gaza has contributed to the catastrophic degradation of the besieged territory’s healthcare system.”
The destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system is yet another example of Israel’s deliberate annihilation of the Gazan population. UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health has said Israel has been waging an “unrelenting war” on Gaza’s healthcare system and a “shameful war on healthcare workers,” that has resulted in the “healthcare infrastructure in the Gaza strip being completely obliterated.”
We must move away from the rhetoric that Israel is trying to minimize civilian casualties, because it is simply not true. The facts and numbers speak for themselves. It is underscored by actions that have raised significant concerns over the adherence to international law, particularly humanitarian law and the principles set forth in the Geneva Conventions. The blatant violations reported— such as the targeting of vulnerable populations, including healthcare professionals, children, and aid workers—emphasize a troubling reality that warrants immediate global attention and response.
Moreover, the implications of such actions extend beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If one nation perceives it can act with impunity, flouting the rules designed to regulate warfare and promote humane treatment, it sets a perilous precedent. This perceived license to disregard international law can embolden other states to follow suit, leading to an escalation of conflicts worldwide where human rights are trampled underfoot. It creates an environment in which the principles that aim to restrain violence and protect non-combatants are increasingly marginalized.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Dr. Mimi Syed is an American board-certified emergency medicine physician, Dr. Syed served in Gaza from August 8 to September 5, 2024, and December 3 to December 31, 2024, at both Al-Aqsa Hospital and Nasser Hospital. She contributed this article to the Palestine Chronicle.
