On 22 April 2025, Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) held avital webinar to address the catastrophic collapse of the healthcare system in Gaza amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. The webinar aimed to document the deliberate destruction of medical infrastructure, the targeting and killing of healthcare workers, the use of starvation and siege as weapons of war, and the denial of access to essential medical care. Through first-hand testimonies and expert analysis, the webinar exposed the extent of the humanitarian crisis and reiterated the urgent need for international action to stop the atrocities and hold perpetrators accountable.
The webinar featured a panel of distinguished speakers, including doctors who had recently returned from Gaza and prominent international health experts. Among the speakers were Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma and general surgeon from the United States; Dr. Benjamin Thomson, a Canadian physician; Dr. Mahim Qureshi, a British vascular surgeon; Dr. Mark Perlmutter, American Surgeon; Dr. Zouhair Lahna, a French obstetrician and gynaecological surgeon; Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza; Dr. Osama Abdel-Hay, President of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate; and Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. Together, they presented a harrowing and comprehensive account of the destruction of Gaza’s health sector under Israeli bombardment and siege, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the full protection of medical personnel and facilities in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma and general surgeon from California, began his contribution by recounting his most recent experience at Nassar Medical Complex in Gaza, where he worked between March 6 and April 1, 2025—his second medical mission to Gaza following a previous visit to the European Hospital the year before. He shared a powerful and deeply personal story of treating a 16-year-old boy named Ibrahim Barhum, who sustained shrapnel injuries to his lower intestines during a mass casualty event on March 18, after the resumption of widespread Israeli bombing. Despite the severity of his injuries, Ibrahim recovered well after surgery and had shown resilience and humour during his hospital stay. Dr. Feroze described him as a strong-willed yet kind-hearted young man who had memorised the Qur’an by age 15 and whose twin brother had been killed earlier in the war. The father, having struggled for years to conceive through IVF, was constantly at Ibrahim’s side, desperate to protect the last remaining son of his family.
Dr. Feroze went on to recount the tragic evening of March 23. While preparing to change Ibrahim’s dressings, he was called into the ICU to assess another teenage patient who had been transferred from a field hospital and was bleeding heavily. As he left the ICU to continue his rounds, a missile struck the hospital, directly hitting Ibrahim’s room. He described the Israeli bombing of the hospital as deliberate and unhidden, likely carried out using a drone-fired missile. The intended target was reportedly a distant cousin of Ibrahim, named Ismail Barhum, who had arrived at the hospital only hours earlier after initially trying to recover at home. Because the two were relatives, they had been placed in the same room, leading to Ibrahim’s death alongside Ismail.
He then recalled the moment Ibrahim’s body was brought down wrapped in a blanket, and how he recognised his patient’s abdomen even before seeing his face, due to the severe disfigurement caused by the blast. His colostomy had been torn open and he had been eviscerated—dead for at least an hour. Dr. Feroze strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a “double or even triple crime.” He explained that even if Ismail Barhum had been a legitimate military target—a claim he dismissed—it would still be illegal under international law to kill him once he was wounded and receiving care in a hospital, as international humanitarian law protects the wounded in medical facilities. He underlined that the attack on Ibrahim, the bombing of the hospital, and the near-death experience he himself narrowly escaped, all constitute serious war crimes. He concluded by warning that such acts mark a return to barbarism, violating laws of war that have been upheld since before the end of the American Civil War, and expressed hope that action would be taken to reverse this regression.
Dr. Benjamin Thomson, a Canadian physician who has been travelling to Gaza regularly since 2013, began his contribution by placing the current situation within its historical context. He highlighted the peaceful protests of the Great March of Return in 2019, where Palestinians from all sectors of society—young, old, Christian, Muslim, able-bodied, disabled—mobilised to demand their right of return and an end to Israel’s illegal occupation. He recalled witnessing first-hand the war crimes committed by Israeli forces during these protests, including the deliberate targeting of clearly identified healthcare providers, children, journalists, and disabled individuals. These acts led him to testify before the International Criminal Court, although the UN had already independently confirmed Israel’s targeting of protected individuals in violation of international law. He stressed that the atrocities committed today in Gaza are a continuation of Israel’s long-standing policy of illegal occupation and systemic violence.
Turning to the present, Dr. Benjamin described the devastating reality he witnessed during his latest visit to Gaza in March 2024 amid the ongoing genocide committed by Israel. He showed images from newly dug cemeteries in Rafah, where entire families are buried in single plots and gravestones mark the deaths of multiple children in each grave. He emphasised that more than 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, forcing people to live in tents without access to clean water, sanitation, or medical care. The result, he noted, is the rampant spread of preventable diseases like respiratory infections and diarrhoea, particularly among children. He highlighted the deliberate targeting of Gaza’s healthcare system, noting the killing of two senior pathologists at Shifa Hospital—one of whom handled most cancer biopsies in the Strip—resulting in the total collapse of cancer diagnostics. The destruction of Rantisi Pediatric Hospital and the Turkish Friendship Hospital, both of which served cancer patients, has rendered cancer treatment entirely inaccessible.
Dr. Benjamin further detailed how targeted killings of medical professionals have dismantled specialised care systems. He spoke of Dr. Hamam Alo, the physician set to lead a new kidney training programme, who was killed alongside his family when his home was bombed. Ambulances that might have saved him were unable to reach him due to Israeli attacks on rescue vehicles. He also described the killing of a dentist who had spent a decade running Gaza’s only rehab and long-term care facility, which was destroyed in a targeted airstrike that killed him and most of the patients. He presented disturbing evidence of systematic torture of Palestinians, including healthcare workers, by Israeli forces, with returning detainees showing severe pressure injuries and signs of abuse. Concluding his speech, Dr. Benjamin called on healthcare professionals to normalise the use of accurate legal terminology—genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation—as adopted by the International Court of Justice. He stressed that peaceful Palestinian resistance has been met with brutal suppression, and reminded the audience that under international law, armed resistance remains a legal right. He urged unity in using the international humanitarian and human rights frameworks to demand an immediate end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and warned that the time for action is long overdue.
Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, began his contribution by stating that the Israeli occupation has systematically targeted the health sector as part of a broader policy of forced displacement and population transfer. He noted that out of 38 hospitals in Gaza, only 18 remain partially functional, while 20 have been completely forced out of service—including Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza and responsible for nearly half of all medical services in the Strip. Six hospitals have been entirely destroyed. Primary healthcare has also collapsed: out of 103 centres, only 38 are operating partially, while 27 have been destroyed. He stressed that Israel has flagrantly violated international law by targeting medical staff, killing over 1,400 Palestinian health workers, including relatives of medical professionals, such as the cousin of Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, who was tortured to death in Israeli prisons. Among the victims were 150 doctors and 221 nurses. Over 360 healthcare workers have been detained, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, whose release Israel continues to block. Ambulance crews and humanitarian teams have also been directly targeted, with more than 1,300 killed, including 15 paramedics in Rafah alone. Despite these atrocities, Israeli internal investigations have only acknowledged so-called “mistaken killings,” prompting renewed demands for an independent international investigation into these crimes.
He then highlighted the collapse of clinical capacity across Gaza. Hospital bed availability has been halved, dropping from approximately 3,400 beds to just 1,600, while intensive care unit beds have decreased from 312 to only 52. Neonatal ICU beds have also dropped from 162 to 75. Dr. Al-Bursh reported that before the war there were 1,244 patients undergoing dialysis in Gaza; today, only 720 remain alive, meaning that 40% of kidney patients have died due to the lack of access to treatment and medications. The number of functioning dialysis machines has fallen from 178 to fewer than 90. He added that the only public health laboratory responsible for testing food and water has been destroyed. According to UNICEF data, around 50,000 pregnant or nursing women are now completely deprived of maternal and child healthcare. Furthermore, 60,000 children suffer from malnutrition, with at least 52 having died from starvation and 17 from severe cold. Chronic disease patients are also in grave danger, with 80,000 diabetics and 110,000 individuals suffering from high blood pressure unable to access medication or monitoring. These figures, he stressed, are not estimates, but confirmed through unified health programmes coordinated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
Dr. Al-Bursh addressed further critical challenges facing Gaza’s health sector, particularly the vaccination crisis. In collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, 600,000 children under the age of ten were vaccinated against polio in the first round, but Israel is now preventing the entry of vaccines for the second round. This blockade has already led to new virus mutations detected in sewage water and has previously undermined Gaza’s ability to meet UN vaccination targets. He also reported that 22,000 patients are in urgent need of medical transfers abroad, 13,000 of whom have completed their transfer documentation under WHO supervision, but are unable to leave due to Israel’s blockade. He cited severe shortages in fuel and oxygen stations and noted the war has caused over 25,000 permanent disabilities, including 4,700 amputations—18% of which are children. 34% of amputations involved upper limbs, and 66% lower limbs. Additionally, 1,800 cases of brain and spinal cord injuries resulting in permanent disability have been documented. Dr. Al-Bursh concluded by noting that 54% of cancer and blood disease medications are now completely unavailable, along with 40% of primary healthcare drugs, 51% of maternal and child health medications, and 42% of children’s vaccines. He ended with a renewed appeal on behalf of the Palestinian Ministry of Health for the international community and humanitarian organisations to intervene urgently. He warned that the complete closure imposed by Israel for over 40 days is accelerating the collapse of Gaza’s health system and worsening the humanitarian disaster, particularly as the blockade continues to prevent the entry of food, medicine, and fuel. He urged immediate action to ensure the protection of medical teams and facilities in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Dr. Osama Abdel-Hay, President of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, began his contribution by stressing that the magnitude of the atrocities committed in Gaza is already widely known across the world. He described the situation as one of total devastation, pointing to the systematic genocide and the deliberate targeting of hospitals, doctors, nurses, healthcare providers, women, and children. He emphasised that what is happening in Gaza constitutes an overwhelming catalogue of crimes against humanity, and that the reality on the ground has already been clearly witnessed by the global community. According to Dr. Osama, there is no uncertainty about the nature of these crimes or their perpetrators—only a lack of decisive international action.
Focusing his intervention on the urgent need for a ceasefire, Dr. Osama stated that without a halt to the aggression, further discussions about humanitarian response or medical intervention are rendered futile. He underlined that calling for a ceasefire must be the immediate and central demand of the international community. From Egypt, he affirmed, over 2,000 doctors are ready to enter Gaza as soon as a ceasefire is achieved. He noted that Egyptian medical personnel, including both doctors and nurses, are prepared to provide rotating support year-round, sending as many as 500 medical professionals per month if needed.
Dr. Osama reiterated that without an end to the bombing and the siege, medical mobilisation cannot take place. He expressed frustration with continued discussion while Israel’s crimes persist daily without interruption. He described the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza as encompassing all forms of war crimes, and insisted that the focus now must shift from observation to action. Concluding his remarks, Dr. Osama said he stands with all efforts to move forward—toward not only immediate ceasefire but also accountability and the provision of urgent medical support to the people of Gaza.
Dr. Mahim Qureshi, a vascular surgeon based in London, opened her contribution by explaining that she had spent two months in Gaza over the past year, initially driven by the devastating statistic that over ten children were losing limbs every day. She noted that by April 2024, there had been no vascular surgeon available in the central area of Gaza for at least three months. Her entry into Gaza was delayed by two days after Al-Aqsa Hospital, where she was assigned, was bombed just 48 hours prior. The day before her arrival, Israeli forces had assassinated humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, causing all other aid organisations to withdraw—leaving her and her team as the only humanitarians to enter Gaza that day. Upon arrival at Al-Aqsa Hospital, she found a 150-bed maternity unit overwhelmed with more than 1,000 patients and over 3,000 displaced individuals sheltering in and around the hospital. She described chaotic scenes where wards and corridors had merged, people were sleeping in stairwells, and nearly every inch of floor space was occupied.
She described the dire medical conditions under which they were forced to work. Sterile surgical environments were almost impossible to achieve due to the lack of basic surgical drapes and essential equipment. Post-operative infection rates approached 100%, which she said would be unacceptable in any health system in the world. This was due not only to the overcrowded and unhygienic conditions—where thousands of people shared a single bathroom or shower—but also to severe malnutrition and the absence of antibiotics or any means of culturing infections. The injuries she treated were largely caused by blasts and shrapnel, with some gunshot wounds. One of the most haunting cases she mentioned was of an eight- or nine-year-old girl who had been shot in the head, leaving her paralysed. She described the horror of attempting neurosurgery without access to a single medical saw or drill—tools that Israel prohibits from entering Gaza via humanitarian aid.
Dr. Mahim reflected on how, despite witnessing severe trauma cases, she had not been fully prepared for the collapse of basic healthcare services. Nearly half of her patients were not war-injured but were suffering from treatable illnesses that had progressed fatally due to the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. She recounted the profound emotional toll of her return to Gaza, where she found her former colleagues emaciated and the general population physically transformed by malnutrition. She observed signs of protein deficiency in children, including unnaturally lightened hair, which she described as a striking change in Gaza’s normally diverse population. During her time at Nasser Hospital, located within what is falsely labelled a “humanitarian zone,” they faced an average of more than one mass casualty event per day. She also detailed the hidden toll of the war—rising maternal mortality, congenital deformities in newborns due to a complete lack of antenatal care, and widespread death from starvation. These atrocities, she emphasised, are not reflected in official statistics, but are the direct result of the systematic use of starvation as a weapon of war—an inhumane policy that must be brought to an end.
Dr. Mark Perlmutter, an American surgeon who had recently returned from his second mission to Gaza, began his contribution with deliberate restraint, stating that he would not recount every atrocity he witnessed, though they were numerous. He alluded to the widespread malnutrition, the near-universal post-operative infections, and the targeting of healthcare workers, including nurses, surgical staff, and doctors. He recalled seeing children shot by Israeli snipers—both in the head and chest—one of whom was shot again after death while the father watched. He referred to miles-long aid truck convoys that remained undelivered because they were not “de-conflicted,” noting that this blockade of aid was deliberate and devastating. While recounting the bombing of a hospital where his partner Dr. Feroze Sidhwa had narrowly escaped death, Dr. Perlmutter framed the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a wider campaign to demoralise and destroy the Palestinian population for the purpose of land theft. He emphasised this point as a Jewish American surgeon, stating that 95% of healthcare facilities were now non-functional, and that what is happening is not collateral damage but targeted annihilation.
He described his experiences at Nasser and Al-Aqsa Hospitals, particularly the collapse of surgical capacity during mass casualty events. At Al-Aqsa, following the termination of a ceasefire, 70 patients arrived needing immediate surgery during a single night. Supplies ran out quickly—orthopaedic equipment was exhausted, power tools gone, and even basic imaging was unavailable. He shared how he was forced to fix a child’s broken elbow using discarded drill bits, which were intended for repeated use but were the only fixation devices left. He detailed how the last remaining senior orthopaedic surgeon was forced to flee after being threatened with death due to his wife’s affiliation with the UN, even though she hadn’t practised dentistry for over a year. With that, Dr. Perlmutter was left to operate with only resident doctors and eventually had to transfer patients back to Nasser due to the lack of surgical supplies. This led into the central story of his speech, one that he described as deeply personal and emblematic of thousands of war crimes.
He recounted the case of the head paediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Nasser Hospital who was abducted from the operating room by Israeli forces and subjected to unspeakable torture. The doctor’s fingers were broken one by one in an effort to coerce a false confession of Hamas affiliation, which he never gave. He was electrocuted and shown surveillance images of his wife and children, including drone footage of their home, while being threatened with their rape and death. Repeatedly beaten, especially when attempting to contact his lawyer. Dr. Perlmutter personally saw his crushed fingertips and described how the trauma—psychological and physical—had left him utterly broken. He framed this experience as the embodiment of thousands of war crimes, a direct and outrageous violation of the Geneva Conventions, especially the protection of medical professionals. Dr. Perlmutter blamed not only Israel but its Western enablers, particularly the U.S. and the U.K., asserting that the real culpability lies with the governments that continue to support and arm Israel. Sharing how he sent graphic photos of dead and dying children to U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa and was coldly dismissed, he concluded by calling for direct accountability of Western governments. “Israel has not changed its behaviour since the 1940s,” he said. “The real problem is the American and British governments. That’s where change must begin.”
Dr. Zouhair Lahna, a French obstetrician and gynaecological surgeon, opened his contribution by reflecting on the immense difficulty of speaking after hearing the testimonies of his fellow doctors. Having worked in Gaza for over ten years and visited multiple times, including three missions in the previous year alone, he stressed that nothing in his experience across conflict zones in Africa, Syria, Yemen, or Libya compared to what he had witnessed in Gaza. He explained that his work spans both women’s health and general surgery, especially during emergencies, but Gaza presented a reality beyond what any training or prior crisis had prepared him for. Despite performing life-saving surgeries, he admitted that many lives were still lost, and many survivors suffered amputations due to lack of proper surgical conditions. He highlighted that under different circumstances, with access to proper facilities and resources, many of these patients could have been saved. The post-operative infection rates were devastating, with widespread septicemia due to unsanitary environments, overcrowding, and a shortage of medical supplies.
He went on to describe the psychological toll of the genocide on medical workers, including his own colleagues. One of his French colleagues, who had accompanied him on three missions to Gaza, refused to return due to severe depression. In response, they are now organising a symbolic march for Gaza, inspired by the 1980 Cambodia-Thailand march coordinated by Doctors Without Borders, aiming to break through the global indifference. Dr. Zouhair lamented how this war has revealed the colonialist mindset prevalent in many Western societies, where Palestinians—particularly Muslims—are dehumanised and treated as less deserving of empathy or protection. He condemned the narrative that labels resistance as terrorism and noted the blatant hypocrisy of media platforms that justify the deaths, starvation, and destruction inflicted on civilians. He painted a bleak picture of daily life in Gaza: 40 days without food or medicine, one meal per day, no access to meat, unaffordable basic goods, and a world that watches this unfold in silence.
Speaking from his medical specialisation, Dr. Zouhair gave harrowing insight into the impact of the war on women and newborns. He described the situation as a direct war on women and families, with women stripped of all privacy, support, and medical care throughout pregnancy and after childbirth. Antenatal and postnatal services are non-existent, leading to high rates of miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature births, and newborn deaths—including from hypothermia, as mothers and infants are exposed to extreme temperatures inside makeshift tents. He recounted scenes of women without basic necessities like hygienic pads or underwear, suggesting this level of deprivation is not incidental but a deliberate tactic to force displacement. Dr. Zouhair concluded by affirming that this is the first modern example of a population simultaneously facing total collapse and complete entrapment, reiterating that the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system—estimated at 50% to 60%—is part of this systematic erasure.
Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, began her contribution with a powerful statement of solidarity and moral urgency. Describing the current situation in Gaza as a manifestation of genocide, she condemned the “recalcitrant and repugnant” attitude of the Israeli occupying regime and its global allies. She asserted that Gaza is not a hostile territory in need of pacification but rather a land subjected to violent displacement and systematic expulsion, forming one of the most prolonged refugee and humanitarian crises even before October 7, 2023. She outlined how, since March 2—when the second phase of the ceasefire was due—Israel blocked all entry of goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza, including fuel and medical supplies, and severed access to UNRWA, the main UN agency in Palestine. This, she affirmed, demonstrates how Israel and its allies are intentionally destroying the foundations required to sustain life, and flagrantly ignoring rulings by the International Court of Justice.
Dr. Mofokeng detailed the scale of attacks on Gaza’s health sector, noting that since October 7, there have been at least 670 documented health-related attacks, including damage to 122 health facilities and 33 hospitals—a number she believes underrepresents the reality. She spoke of urgent communications made to Israel through her mandate regarding the obstruction of medical supplies, the denial of medical evacuations, and the detention, intimidation, and torture of healthcare workers, including those arrested while actively treating patients. She affirmed that many of these workers were later found dead, their bodies bearing signs of torture. She expressed deep frustration at the limited tools available to UN experts and the global inaction in the face of such widespread violations. Nevertheless, she found hope in collective efforts like this webinar and denounced the silence of global professional health organisations, calling it a profound betrayal of the healthcare community. She referenced the April 13 airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital, which destroyed its emergency department, as one of many attacks that have reduced emergency care options in Gaza to near zero, all while Israel continues its assault with full impunity.
Concluding her contribution, Dr. Mofokeng outlined upcoming actions within her UN mandate, announcing that she will present two reports in 2025—one to the Human Rights Council in June and another to the General Assembly in October—focusing on healthcare workers as protectors of the right to health. She stressed the need to adopt anti-racist, anti-colonial, and anti-imperialist approaches in global health advocacy and medical practice, particularly in the context of genocide and protracted conflict. Calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, she firmly stated that peace cannot exist without liberation. Any so-called peace process that excludes and exterminates Palestinians is, in her view, inherently illegitimate and unsustainable. She demanded the release of all detained healthcare workers, specifically naming Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, and ended her remarks with what she called “impossible rage and fury” at the ongoing injustice. Yet she also offered thanks to her fellow speakers and participants, recognising the collective strength and solidarity that sustains this critical struggle for justice and the right to health in Gaza.
