MedGlobal Condemns Horrific Killing of 15 Palestin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT:
Prapti Ajmera, West End Strategy Team
[email protected] | 202-867-5231

MedGlobal Condemns Horrific Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics and First Responders in Gaza 

MedGlobal is horrified by the reported killing of 15 Palestinian medics and emergency responders by Israeli forces in Gaza, as confirmed by the United Nations. The dead, whose bodies were found buried in a mass grave, included eight Red Crescent workers, six members of Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency unit, and a staffer from UNRWA. According to the UN, the medical workers killed had been dispatched to aid injured people and were clearly identified as first responders. 5 ambulances, a firetruck, and a marked UN vehicle were all struck by direct fire. 

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of MedGlobal, stated, “The targeting of healthcare workers is a crime under international law. These were paramedics and first responders who dedicated their lives to saving others – only to be killed for doing their duty. This cannot be ignored – the world must demand accountability, justice, and an immediate end to such horrific acts.” 

Healthcare workers and emergency responders must never be targets. These attacks on medical personnel are part of an ongoing assault on Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system, with over 1,500 health workers killed since the war began, according to the UN. The long-running pattern of targeting those providing critical medical care to civilians also includes the destruction of hospitals and the arrest and detention without charge of Palestinian medical personnel, including MedGlobal’s lead physician in Gaza, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, and other team MedGlobal members. 

MedGlobal has worked in Gaza, partnering with local healthcare workers, since 2018. Their teams on the ground, including volunteer medical workers from the US, have been working around the clock, providing lifesaving care under high pressure and dangerous circumstances. MedGlobal’s emergency medical points are among the few facilities still operating, offering urgent care in a healthcare desert. MedGlobal volunteer doctors were recently present at Gaza’s Nasser hospital when it was bombed by Israeli forces. 

“Killing and disappearing healthcare workers and attacking hospitals ensures that even the most basic care and assistance to the civilian population becomes impossible”, said Joseph Belliveau, executive director of MedGlobal. “The international community cannot remain silent while humanitarian workers are attacked. MedGlobal reiterates its call to the warring parties, international leaders, human rights organizations, and the global community to take decisive action in safeguarding healthcare and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza. We demand strict adherence to international laws protecting medical personnel in conflict zones – which have been ignored throughout this conflict, at terrible cost.” 

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About MedGlobal
MedGlobal is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides emergency medical response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world. The organization’s health programs support victims of crisis and conflict, refugees, internally displaced persons, and marginalized communities in disaster-affected and low-resource settings.