Group of Canadian doctors demand compliance with ICJ rulings, Gaza access, arms embargo on Israel

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - A group of 19 Canadian physicians issued an open letter Wednesday to the Canadian government, urging immediate action in response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

The letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and other senior Canadian politicians urges compliance with international humanitarian law and rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Gaza.

Drawing from experiences working in Gaza’s hospitals since October, the doctors shared their "testimonies from Gaza" to "reveal the horror we witnessed and the nightmares that haunt us, in part due to the inaction of the Canadian government."

They described overflowing hospitals, severe shortages of medicine, power outages and widespread malnutrition and disease.

They emphasized the dire circumstances under which they performed invasive and reconstructive surgeries, often on non-combatant victims, including children under 16 who suffered from bullet and shrapnel wounds.

Noting that "56% of hospitals are entirely non-operational, with the remaining functioning only partially," the letter said: "Over 500 healthcare workers have been killed, including 63 physicians. Hundreds of healthcare workers have been detained and subjected to torture."

Describing Gaza as the "deadliest place in history for aid workers" amid Israeli attacks, the doctors pledged to not "remain silent" as "women, men and children in Gaza continue to be torn apart by bombs dropped by Israel on tents, schools, mosques and hospitals."

The letter urged the government to move "to the right side of history, and play an important role in ending this genocide."

It also called for several urgent measures, including pressuring Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza, empowering the World Health Organization to coordinate humanitarian access, ensuring unrestricted access to medical equipment and allowing healthcare professionals of Palestinian descent to work in Gaza.

Demanding that the government "respect and comply with the ICJ decisions," the letter urged Canada to "withhold all military and economic aid to the State of Israel until a ceasefire is reached and a permanent end to the 16-year-old blockade of the Gaza Strip is reached."

"Canada must enact a two-way arms embargo immediately," it added.