Swiss Healthcare Workers Against Genocide

As people working in the health sector in Switzerland, we can no longer remain silent.

Facts.
Facts about the situation in Gaza since 7.10.23, as of July 30th, 2025.
  • Israel has attacked and bombed almost all of Gaza's hospitals since the start of the war, many are completely out of operation, and all of them are severely restricted in their function. Hundreds of patients and over 1600 healthcare workers have been killed in the attacks. Time and again, medical personnel have been targeted or even outright executed, such as the paramedics in Rafah on 23.3.25, or those who were on their way to rescue the girl Hind Rajab on 29.1.24. In the rest of the Palestinian territories, too, attacks on the health service take place practically every day. These are clear war crimes and violations of international law.
  • As justification for the constant bombing of health facilities, Israel claims that they serve as Hamas command centers. This claim has been repeatedly and vehemently denied by international aid organizations and doctors working with these organizations in Gaza.
  • Hundreds of healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, etc.) in Gaza have been abducted, unlawfully detained and in many cases tortured. Some died in captivity, such as the head of orthopedics at Al Shifa Hospital, Dr. Adnan Al Bursh, who was tortured to death. Many have been held for months in inhumane conditions and are in critical condition - the pediatrician and medical director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, is the most prominent example.
  • Due to the blockade of all border crossings to Gaza, no medical supplies and gasoline for the operation of generators and ambulances have been able to reach Gaza since 2nd of March 2025. According to doctors working on the ground with aid organizations, it is currently extremely difficult or often impossible to provide care for the thousands of injured and all other patients. Also, the import of food has also been blocked since 2nd of March 2025. As of July 24th, this has led to the highest phase of the “Acute Food Insecurity Scale”: IPC Scale 5, or Famine. As a result, the injured bodies cannot heal because they do not have enough nutrients, which leads to a drastic increase in wound healing disorders and infections. In addition, the immune system is weakened and the body cannot defend itself against the infectious diseases that are rampant due to the catastrophic hygienic conditions. Also, more and more people are dying of hunger. The current Israeli-American strategy (aid only through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) is far from adequate, incredibly degrading, and every day hundreds are injured and dozens shot at the 4 distribution points, according to the UN and aid organizations such as MSF, ICRC, etc.
  • Countless doctors have been killed in Gaza. This has led to a massive shortage of doctors and, in particular, a shortage of specialists, which makes it even more difficult to provide medical care to the suffering population.

Swiss Healthcare Workers Against Genocide