The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently visiting Washington D.C. to discuss a possible new ceasefire in Gaza. However, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon who volunteered at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Gaza, warns that the humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territory continues due to Israel’s impunity in attacking hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Sidhwa describes the situation as “outrageous behavior” that violates international law. He states that every attack on a healthcare facility in Gaza has been justified by either a willful misunderstanding of international law or just outright lies. The World Health Organization reports that 94% of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, and 609 healthcare workers have been killed.
Sidhwa shares his personal experience with the Israeli attacks, including the bombing of a hospital room where he was two minutes away from operating on a 16-year-old boy named Ibrahim. The attack was justified by claims that the boy’s cousin, Ismail Barhoum, who was also in the hospital receiving treatment, was Hamas’s prime minister.
Sidhwa highlights the lack of accountability for Israeli leaders and their American supporters. He warns that the ceasefire negotiations are unlikely to succeed without significant pressure on the Trump administration to lift the blockade of Gaza. Sidhwa emphasizes that the United States must apply its laws to itself, particularly when it comes to arming human rights abusers like Israel.
Sidhwa’s experience and concerns are echoed by other international organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, which has condemned the killing of a former MSF worker shot dead by Israeli forces. The situation in Gaza remains dire, with many lives lost and healthcare workers killed due to Israel’s relentless attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Source: https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/7/israel_war_crimes_hospital