"The value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or political alliances...." On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: “Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”.

On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: 

“Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”. Read the letter and more in our latest issue: https://hubs.li/Q03LX2fw0

Oct 04, 2025

Volume 406Number 10511p1443-1534   https://www.thelancet.com/issue/S0140-6736(25)X0040-4?dgcid=twitter_organic_cover25_lancet&hss_channel=tw-27013292

Gaza's healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent

Alessandro Vitale^a alessandro.vitale@unipd.it ∙ Mohammad Abu Hilal^b,c ∙ Andrew A Gumbs^d,e ∙ Amir Szold^f ∙ Umberto Cillo^a ∙ Isabella Frigerio^g,h

The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the apparent deliberate targeting of health-care infrastructure and personnel, has highlighted a profound challenge to the global medical community. Hospitals are under siege and clinicians are operating without basic supplies, power, or safety.^1,2 We are all deeply concerned about the suffering civilian population in Gaza and Israeli hostages, who are both living under inhumane conditions after the massacre of Oct 7, 2023.²

 

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.^9–12

 

The value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or political alliances... READ MORE  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01735-0/fulltext

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]