• International humanitarian law stipulates specific obligations during armed conflict, including the protection of healthcare and humanitarian workers.
  • There has been a recent increase in attacks on humanitarian workers in places affected by armed conflict.
  • Israel’s egregious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank are among the leading drivers of this disturbing trend.
  • The absence of respect for existing safeguards for humanitarian and healthcare workers and other protected persons in Gaza is an integral aspect of the intentional disintegration of the Palestinian healthcare system.
  • More research is needed to better understand how systematic attacks on healthcare workers, alongside a lack of accountability for such attacks, impacts healthcare systems and people living in proximity to situations of extreme violence.
  • Most urgently, legal and medical institutions must advocate clearly and take concrete action to stop genocide and to safeguard healthcare and human rights, including the right to self-determination, in Gaza and other places affected by political and military violence.