Hundreds of doctors demand World Medical Association suspend Israel

What the report says

Hundreds of doctors and healthcare workers protested outside the World Medical Association’s summit in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, calling on the organization to suspend the Israeli Medical Association. The demonstration, organized by the IMA Out! campaign, focused on the detention of Palestinian healthcare workers and broader accusations that Israel’s campaign in Gaza has devastated the medical system.

According to Al Jazeera, 81 participants displayed empty scrubs marked with the names of Palestinian medics who are being held in Israeli detention. Protesters said the Israeli Medical Association has not adequately opposed the destruction of Palestinian healthcare and argued that this falls short of medical ethics. The campaign also said it presented a petition supporting suspension of the IMA, signed by more than 6,500 health workers worldwide.

The article says speakers at the summit and related meetings discussed the collapse of healthcare in Gaza and the role of international medical bodies. Among the cases highlighted was Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the head of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, whose detention has drawn international concern. The protests are part of wider pressure on professional associations to respond to the war’s impact on hospitals, patients and medical workers. As background, Al Jazeera has previously reported extensive damage to Gaza’s health sector during the war, but the details above reflect the outlet’s account in this report.