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Middle East Eye
21-05-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Gaza genocide: How Israel's healthcare system became an instrument of state violence
In recent years, Israel's defenders have increasingly pointed to the significant presence of 'Arab Israeli' doctors and their integration into the country's healthcare system as evidence against accusations of apartheid. They highlight examples, including Jewish patients treated by Arab doctors, to promote a narrative of equality and coexistence. But for those familiar with the lived realities of being a Palestinian citizen of Israel - and particularly how it manifests within the healthcare system - this narrative is deeply misleading. In the weeks following the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 and Israel's ensuing genocidal war on Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian healthcare workers have been subjected to harassment, disciplinary summonses, suspension or dismissal - often for simply acknowledging or expressing sympathy for the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Actions as minor as liking a post, or the rediscovery of old content, have triggered punitive measures. In a recent study I conducted for the Haifa-based Mada al-Carmel, the Arab Center for Applied Social Research, I gained a profound and intimate understanding of the daily realities faced by nine Palestinian physicians working in hospitals and health clinics across diverse geographical areas in Israel. Through in-depth interviews, they shared their personal experiences and reflections on both the Israeli healthcare system and their relationships with Israeli colleagues amid the war. What emerged most powerfully was a deep sense of dehumanisation, as intimidation and racism against them has intensified significantly since October 2023. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Palestinian doctors make up nearly a quarter of Israel's medical workforce. Despite this, they remain structurally marginalised. In hospitals and clinics, they work closely alongside Jewish doctors, members of the dominant and racially privileged group, and are often instrumentalised to project an image of equality. This aims to deflect international criticism and to support internal campaigns promoting the rights of 'Arab citizens'. At times, these doctors are celebrated as symbols of coexistence or hailed as heroes, masking the deeper repression they face. Climate of fear In the interviews I conducted, doctors described a climate of fear and silencing, where even minimal expressions of grief for Palestinian victims are treated as support for 'terrorism'. From the outset of the genocide, doctors told me, their managers warned staff against criticising the war or referring to Israeli military actions as 'war crimes', stating that anyone who made such remarks had 'no place' in their institutions. In the early days of the war, a letter was circulated among medical staff, stating that any expression that could be interpreted as 'support for terrorism' would be handled under Israel's anti-terrorism law and could result in disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war Several interviewees spoke about colleagues who were summoned by hospital management or faced disciplinary threats over social media posts or casual remarks. Staff meetings became spaces of collective suspicion, with Palestinian doctors implicitly portrayed as potential supporters of terrorism, or asked to condemn the events of 7 October. Interviewees also recounted hearing racist statements that broadly dehumanised Palestinians - for example, generalised claims that 'all Arabs are terrorists'. This atmosphere kept them from expressing empathy or taking meaningful action against the war in Gaza, turning hospitals into sites of repression and racialised control. The Israeli Medical Association continues to justify the logic of military strikes on health infrastructure, rather than condemning it. This is not a defence of medical ethics, but an abdication The Israeli healthcare system has long been shaped by the broader structures of repression and racial hierarchy that define the state's treatment of its non-Jewish citizens, including Palestinians, whose political agency is often perceived as a threat to the Jewish majority. Several Israeli hospitals have segregated Arab and Jewish women in maternity wards at the request of Jewish families, while a prominent Israeli doctor has referred to the 'Arab womb' as a demographic threat, citing Palestinian birthrates as a danger to the Jewish majority. These are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader pattern of racism in healthcare - from prejudiced comments by staff, to patients refusing treatment from Arab professionals, a behaviour often tolerated or excused by hospital administrators. To assume that this same system, so deeply embedded in state ideology and built on structures of exclusion, would somehow function as a sterile and protected space for Palestinian health professionals is not only naive, but dangerously detached from reality. Heavy silence Despite a year and a half of genocide in Gaza and the systematic collapse of the territory's healthcare system, the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) has remained largely silent. On only a couple of occasions did it feel compelled to speak out, and even then with reservations. After 100 Israeli doctors in November 2023 signed a letter calling for Gaza hospitals to be bombed, the IMA responded to this letter by stating: "Israeli doctors have refused to be dragged into the moral and ethical deterioration that the enemy has reached. We will continue to uphold our role and remain committed to healing, and to improving the quality and longevity of our patients' lives. Doctors of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) will not encourage crimes against humanity". The original letter was published in Doctors Only, a platform accessible exclusively to members of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA). However, it was reported publicly. And last year, it issued a statement highlighting doctors' obligation to provide care to 'Hamas terrorists' - but only after public protests erupted outside hospitals over the treatment of detained Palestinians. In neither instance did the IMA acknowledge the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system, the killing of medical personnel, or the war crimes committed against hospitals. Now, after more than 19 months of genocide, the IMA has issued a short statement that notes the 'serious conditions' in Gaza and calls for humanitarian aid to be allowed in, but otherwise echoes the military's narrative. By framing humanitarian aid as something that must be protected from 'misuse' and warning against hospitals being commandeered as 'terrorist quarters', the IMA continues to justify the logic of military strikes on health infrastructure, rather than firmly condemning it. This is not a defence of medical ethics, but an abdication. The IMA, which represents the vast majority of doctors in Israel, has played a central role in aligning the medical sector with state objectives. While claiming to be a neutral professional body, it has actively defended Israel's military actions, lobbied against international condemnation, and promoted pro-war narratives under the guise of medical diplomacy. Intensified surveillance The militarisation of Israel's healthcare system is deeply entrenched, both structurally and symbolically - and this has significantly intensified since 7 October. Senior hospital staff often serve as army reservists, and medical professionals regularly shift between clinical roles and military service. This has led to the normalisation of military values within hospitals, where displays of nationalism, armed personnel and institutional support for the war effort have become common. This alignment goes beyond rhetoric. Physicians have been seen carrying weapons inside hospitals, and family doctors have helped facilitate the arming of settler civilians. One Israeli doctor publicly expressed excitement about entering Gaza with a rifle and taking part in assassinations, framing it as part of his role as a physician. Dozens of Israeli doctors endorsed the bombing of hospitals in Gaza, without facing any professional consequences. Coerced into silence: The reality of being a Palestinian doctor in an Israeli hospital Read More » Palestinian medical teams within the Israeli healthcare system have been facing persecution, silencing and exclusion. Medical staff who express political opinions or demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza have been targeted and confronted by their Israeli counterparts, and subjected to institutional monitoring. Such persecution, often masquerading as neutrality or depoliticisation of the health system, has induced a climate of fear among Palestinians, leading to self-censorship and restricted expression of their views. The surveillance has intensified since 7 October. Hospitals now often preemptively scan social media, flagging Palestinian staff who have not posted condemnations of Hamas or have shown concern for Gaza's victims. There are documented cases in which hospital staff - and, in some instances, patients - monitored healthcare workers' social media activity, including past posts. These were reported to hospital management and, in some cases, led to disciplinary measures or dismissal. Additionally, several doctors I interviewed for my research stated that their social media activity was being surveilled. As a result, many chose to deactivate their accounts or stopped posting altogether. Some healthcare workers have been suspended or fired without due process. Such developments reflect not mere complicity, but active participation in the war effort. Some health professionals have even been implicated in the neglect of injured Palestinian detainees. The blending of military and medical roles - alongside the repression of Palestinian voices - exposes the healthcare system not as a neutral domain of care, but as an instrument of state violence. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Months-old footage misrepresented as missile attack on Pakistan
The video, showing a barrage of missiles and explosions illuminated against the night sky, was shared on X on May 7, 2025. The clip, which was viewed more than 1,400 times and bears the watermark of Indian news channel DD, circulated after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on Pakistan (archived link). "Hello @RahulGandhi and @ArvindKejriwal. Here is the video proof of Air Strike on Pakistan and its terror bases. Now don't dare to ask for proof from my beloved Indian Army," reads its caption, addressing opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal. The politicians had in previous years asked for proof about strikes across the border, and were criticised by the ruling government (archived here and here). New Delhi said the strikes were in response to an attack that killed 26 tourists on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which it blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan has denied any involvement. The nuclear-armed neighbours then exchanged tit-for-tat missile, drone and fighter jet attacks which killed at least 70 people in the worst violence between the arch-rivals in decades (archived link). The latest conflict sparked global concerns that it could spiral into a full-blown war before a ceasefire was brokered on May 10 bringing a halt to the violence. The clip purportedly showing the Indian air strikes were also shared in similar posts on Facebook and X. But it previously circulated in news reports from October 2024 which said it showed Nevatim airbase in Israel being struck by Iranian missiles. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage published on the YouTube channel of Indian news channel DD India on October 2, 2024 (archived link). The title of the video reads, "Iranian missiles targeting the Nevatim airbase in the Negev Desert". Iran said the attack was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in September and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in late July (archived link). According to the Pentagon, Tehran launched about twice as many ballistic missiles as it had in its previous direct attack on Israel in April 2024. The same video was also published on the verified YouTube account of The New York Post on October 2, 2024 (archived link). The footage was credited to video agency SCOPAL. "The video was provided to us by an Arab Israeli agency who is a very regular supplier to SCOPAL," the agency's chief executive Andrew Steele told AFP on May 16, 2025. AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the India-Pakistan crisis here, here and here.
TimesLIVE
05-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
Egypt sentences two Israelis to 5 years in jail for assaulting hotel workers
An Egyptian court has sentenced two Israeli citizens to five years in jail for assaulting hotel workers in the Red Sea town of Taba near the border with Israel last year, an Egyptian security source said on Saturday. In August three Arab Israeli tourists and two Egyptian hotel workers were injured when a fight broke out at a hotel after one of the tourists insulted one of the employees, security sources said at the time.
Reuters
03-05-2025
- Reuters
Egypt sentences two Israelis to five years in jail for assaulting hotel workers
CAIRO, May 3 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court has sentenced two Israeli citizens to five years in jail for assaulting hotel workers in the Red Sea town of Taba near the border with Israel last year, an Egyptian security source said on Saturday. In August, three Arab Israeli tourists and two Egyptian hotel workers were injured when a fight broke out at a hotel after one of the tourists insulted one of the employees, security sources said at the time. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- The Independent
Briton `distraught' after Cyprus court acquits five men accused of raping her
A British tourist is 'really shocked, sad and distraught' after charges against the five Israeli men she accused of gang-raping her in a hotel were dropped by a court in Cyprus, her lawyer has said. On Monday, a three-member Assize court, sitting as a district court in Paralimni, ruled the testimony of the 20-year-old had not been credible as it 'lacked coherence and contained numerous substantial contradictions', The Guardian reported. Police said she had picked the men out of a line-up as having raped her during a hotel pool party in the coastal resort town of Ayia Napa on September 3 2023. The defendants, who were then aged 19 and 20, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The woman is 'really sad and really upset' about the acquittals which saw all of the men walk free from court, according to her lawyer Michael Polak. He said: 'She is openly gay, not interested in men at all and the defence was that she consented to group sex with these Arab Israeli men who do not speak English. 'So she is really shocked by the verdict.' The woman, who cannot be legally identified, was 'highly distressed' as she told police that she was 'taken by force' during a party and was then sexually assaulted in a hotel room, it was reported. Mr Polak, who is director of the Justice Abroad organisation, added he is 'not surprised' by the ruling. It comes after the European Court of Human Rights ruling earlier this year that Cyprus' law enforcement authorities failed to live up to their obligation to thoroughly and effectively investigate a British teenager's claims. Mr Polak has written to the Attorney General in Cyprus to appeal against the verdict in this week's case. He said: 'We think one of the higher courts should look at it and look at it properly,' before adding: 'We'll see what happens but we don't have great hope.' Mr Polak said it is 'very difficult to assess' the criticisms that have been made about the 20-year-old's testimony, saying he has yet to see the full judgment. He added: 'But I do know that she has no interest in men or entering into a group sex act people she did not know or speak the same language – none of that has been mentioned.'
