British healthcare body slammed by over 2,000 medics for pro-Israel statement

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) - In a petition launched on Monday, over 2,000 UK healthcare professionals rejected a recent pro-Israel statement made by the Department of Health and Social Care.

In its Friday statement, the department – which is responsible for health and care policies – said: “We are flying the flag of Israel at the Department of Health and Social Care in London. We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel.”

The petition condemned the statement, calling it “an explicit unilateral expression of solidarity and makes no recognition of the loss of Palestinians life at the hands of the State of Israel.”

Citing UN experts’ findings that Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza violate international humanitarian law and “constitute war crimes,” the healthcare professionals said the decision to raise the Israeli flag outside the department headquarters shows flagrant disregard for the international law violations and healthcare crises Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from.

“As UK healthcare professionals and employees of the UK National Health Service (NHS) we say this is totally unacceptable.”

Touching on Israel cutting off access to clean water, food, and energy to the people of Gaza, the signatories said these “war crime” also made it harder for hospitals to treat victims of the bombing by the Israeli government.

“According to the UN this has meant that 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are unable to access essential health services or even clean water, with 5,500 of those women due to give birth in the coming month.”

Officials in Gaza have so far confirmed the deaths of 11 doctors, 10 paramedics, 14 nurses, 4 dentists and two medical students, with these numbers set to rise.

Israel has ordered 22 hospitals in Gaza to evacuate, an act which the World Health Organisation has called “a death setence for the sick and injured”

In a list of demands, the healthcare professionals asked the department to retract its statement and take down the Israeli flag from its building in London “in light of international law violations.”

The department was also called on to recognize and condemn war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.

The healthcare body was requested to show efforts to support Palestinian health services through donations and the sharing of resources and equipment.

Signatories of the petition called on on the British Medical Association, General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, all the associated Royal Colleges of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Island and all relevant healthcare bodies to “denounce the stance taken by the DHSC in supporting a state that is clearly committing inhumane war crimes and acts of genocide.”