Are there ‘two sides’ to attacks on healthcare? Evidence from Palestine

• Authors: Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida; Osama Tanous, Emory University; Bram Wispelwey, Harvard Medical School; Mohammed AlKhaldi, An-Najah National University
• Journal Title: European Journal of Public Health
• Volume: Volume 31, Number 5
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP) | 2021-09-25, Pages 927-928
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckab167
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Education
• Keywords: Health Care Sciences & Services; Palestine; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Global Health

Abstract

In June 2018, 20-year-old medic Razan al-Najjar was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper as she tended to protestors on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Despite efforts to obscure Razan’s motivations, with an Israeli spokesperson claiming she was ‘not the angel of mercy Hamas propaganda is making her out to be,1’ eventually Israel admitted that her death was unintentional and a rigorous New York Times investigation found that the medics and others in the immediate area posed no threat to Israelis2. Although Razan’s murder made international news, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 431 other attacks against healthcare in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) in 2018.