War is always a failure of humanity, wherever it is fought. For those who dedicate their lives to science, the use of weapons is particularly intolerable: it denies the very principles that are at the core of medical and healthcare practice. Yet it is precisely in these dramatic contexts that the duty to care becomes even more urgent, forcefully invoking the responsibility of those who have chosen this profession.
In an international environment that is increasingly dominated by weapons and the logic of power, openly contradicting the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ideal of civil progress, which should rule out the use of arms as a means of resolving disputes between peoples and nations, the situation in Gaza stands out due to its unprecedented severity.
We are well aware that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has deep and complex roots, so much so that it can seem paradoxical to an outside observer: the more one tries to study and understand it, the less comprehensible it becomes. For this reason, we do not intend to take a partisan stance.
What we cannot ignore, however – as scientists committed to the health and well-being of all people – is the situation that, after the horrendous attack by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, has arisen and continues to affect the civilian population living there. Defenceless and now starving, they have endured nearly two years of continuous bombing and attacks, forced to live in a confined space with no escape from life-threatening dangers, which particularly affect children.
Over 70% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed; in some cases healthcare facilities and hospitals have become targets of military operations due to suspicions that Hamas militants might be hiding there. The number of healthcare workers who have died has reached several hundred. The humanitarian aid that has arrived is woefully inadequate and the way it is distributed has become dangerous for the crowds trying to receive it.
The conditions endured by the inhabitants of Gaza are well known and documented by independent international organisations, so we will not recount them in detail in this brief statement.
We wish to share with the Israeli academic community the anguish this war causes all of us.
The state of Israel is an integral part of the Western world. No one living and working in this wealthier and more privileged part of the world can exempt themselves from the responsibility of contributing, through their actions, to how the West positions itself in relation to the rest of the world.
We believe that failing to perceive the current situation in Gaza as inhumane lays the foundation for a dystopian future, in which anything becomes possible, without limits.
For this reason, we appeal to the Israeli academic community and the entire Israeli scientific community to share this call to the Israeli government: change your strategy and recognise the non-negotiable sanctity of the lives of children, women, and men – even in the Gaza Strip.
Those who work in healthcare in any capacity cannot remain silent in the face of what is happening there.
We therefore call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid and food into Gaza.
The effectiveness of this appeal depends on the strength of the institutions that promote it.
We hereby declare our full willingness to support and promote any humanitarian initiative aimed at improving conditions for the population of Gaza, while remaining clear that it is the Israeli government that must take the first step.