Gaza’s Public Health Crisis: A Call for Global Action and Justice
News
Sep 12, 2025
Gaza and Palestine’s public health systems are under attack. They’re collapsing.
Genocide, governance failures, and the ethics of global health are to blame. Since 1967, the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) has championed global health equity, evidence-based policy, and international cooperation.
Today, we stand in solidarity with Palestine and call for urgent action to protect public health, human rights, and international law.
The Collapse of Public Health in Gaza and Palestine
The deliberate destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure is more than a humanitarian disaster. It’s a violation of medical neutrality, the Geneva Conventions, and the right to health. When hospitals, health workers, and data systems are targeted, silence becomes complicity.
The Devastating Impact on Gaza’s Health System (October 2023 – Present)
While the oppression of Palestinians predates October 2023, the escalation of war crimes, ethnic displacement, and genocide has led to catastrophic outcomes:
- Over 80% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed
- At least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed
- Over 1,400 health workers and nearly 300 UN staff have been killed in Gaza
- On average, more than 10 children lose one or more limbs daily, making the Gaza Strip now have the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world
- 2024 became the deadliest year for journalists, with 70% being killed by Israel
- Life expectancy in Gaza has fallen by over 30 years
These statistics highlight the bleak reality: a deliberate dismantling of public health.
Weaponized Famine and Health as a Target
Gaza faces manufactured famine, with siege tactics blocking food and medical aid. Children are highlighted because they’re the most innocent. But it’s not just children. Everyone in Gaza is being starved and killed. The elderly, pregnant women, the sick, people with disabilities, ordinary men and women. No one is safe. Starvation isn’t a side effect but rather a weapon of war.
Legal experts, UN Special Rapporteurs, Amnesty International, and the Lemkin Institute, among several others, confirm this meets the criteria for genocide under international law. Public health has been systematically weaponized through:
- Bombing hospitals and clinics
- Blocking medical supplies
- Destroying vaccination programs and health data
- Targeting public health education
When is enough, enough?
Global Health Governance Failures
Despite Palestine’s observer status at the World Health Assembly, its health system has been destroyed with no meaningful intervention. The WHO, ECOSOC, and global health institutions face a crisis of credibility if they fail to act.
WFPHA’s Call to Action: Justice, Protection, and Accountability
We demand immediate action, not just advocacy:
1. Immediate Ceasefire and Protection of Civilians
- Unconditional, internationally monitored ceasefire
2. Restore Gaza’s Health System
- Guaranteed humanitarian corridors
- Protection for health workers and facilities
- Independent investigations into violations
3. Legal Accountability for War Crimes
- Activate ICC and universal jurisdiction for attacks on health systems
4. Global Health Emergency Declaration
- Invest in infrastructure, vaccinations, and data recovery
5. Support Displaced Health Workers
- Academic sanctuary, mentorship, and employment aid
6. Permanent Conflict Health Monitoring
- WFPHA and WHO must develop real-time monitoring tools
7. Mobilize the Public Health Community
- National associations must document violations and speak out
Health Requires Peace as Silence is Complicity
This goes beyond Gaza and Palestine. We demand adherence to public health, human rights, and international law. Neutrality isn’t an option. Never again must mean never again for everyone.
Health demands peace. Public health demands courage.
The time for both is now.
Signed,
World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
Read the Lancet correspondence letter here
Read the original call to action statement here