Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Psychology and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures in June of this year. The activist was killed by Israel’s military on September 6 at an International Solidarity Movement protest against Israeli settlement expansions in the West Bank, an occupied territory in Palestine. Eygi was shot as the Israeli military opened fire on demonstrators and later pronounced dead at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Another activist at the September 6…
Category: War/Militarism
War is inextricably linked to health, and yet it is very infrequently considered as a public health issue. Not only does war kill, mame, and traumatize, but it also has ecological and environmental impacts that themselves negate health. It is incongruous with the mission of public health to support war, and yet public health remains silent in war’s midst. Here we highlight the impacts of war on health, and frame war as a global health issue.
Gazan Death Toll Four Times Greater Than Official Estimates, According to Multiple Experts
In mid-June, the Gazan Ministry of Health reported a cumulative death toll of nearly 39,000 people attributed to the Israeli assault on Gaza, including 15,000 children. However, other credible researchers estimate that the true death toll is likely over four times higher than reported. Susan Abulhawa, a Gazan refugee, scientist, author and human rights activist argues that the currently reported numbers “don’t give an accurate picture at all”. Abulhawa states that the reported numbers only account for individuals going through…
Crisis in Sudan: Urgent Call for De-Escalation in El Fasher
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, is at the epicenter of escalating conflicts in Sudan, now a battleground between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). With over a million civilians, many displaced and on the verge of starvation, the situation in El Fasher demands immediate global attention. This violence stems from a broader conflict that ignited in April 2023 in Khartoum, fracturing the nation and thrusting Darfur into chaos. The importance of El Fasher cannot…
Israel’s Dahiya doctrine intentionally violates International Humanitarian Law
The Israeli response to the brutal October 7, 2023 Hamas killings and hostage-taking has been widely criticized by the international community. The immense numbers of civilian deaths and injuries have prompted human rights experts to condemn Israel for its defense strategy that disproportionately harms civilians. The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas officials. Deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on civilians…
Gaza – “Not a normal war”
No war is the same. But the Gaza War is particularly unprecedented – on many fronts – the enormous death toll, targeting of children, intentional famine, unprecedented damage to health workers and facilities, emerging threats of infectious disease outbreaks. Several recent articles and posts underscore how horrific this war has been, from the brutality of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks, to the ongoing inhumanity of the Israeli military that has been labeled by many scholars as war crimes and genocide….
Defunding UNWRA in Gaza is ‘collective punishment’ – Lancet & Health Justice Organizations
Health and political leaders globally have condemned defunding of UNRWA, the principle lifeline for the people of Gaza. Sharmila Devi, in the current issue of Lancet, quotes UN leaders and aid agency leaders (including WHO) “no other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2·2 million people in Gaza urgently need,” the cuts are “collective punishment,” and “if a teacher is found to be a murderer, we don’t get calls to defund the school…
Wars are never necessary: Gaza is the best example
This short Lancet piece by Souza, Buss, and Alcazar notes that since the Gaza war began in October 2023, “nothing has been resolved and all impasses remain. The costs of lives lost and survivors’ lives destroyed forever are immense. The billions of dollars spent on killing so far could have saved lives, fed and immunised people, recovered the malnourished, built equitable systems, and provided essential medicines in many parts of the world.” They draw our attention to a recent BBC…
Afghan hunger striker spotlights US-Taliban dirty deal
On September 1, 2023 Tamana Paryani began a hunger strike in Cologne, Germany for the rights of Afghan women. She is demanding that the United Nations and the German government declare the Taliban government is misogynist and practices gender apartheid. Ms. Paryani, a women’s rights defender, was arrested by the Taliban and suffered 26 days of physical and mental torture. Upon release, she fled to Germany in October 2022. The Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women publicized Paryani’s heroism in a…
Gaza: The root of violence is oppression
This blog from the Jewish Voices for Peace condemns the violence, mourns the lives lost, and provides a context for understanding the roots of the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The authors note that The bloodshed of today and the past 75 years traces back directly to U.S. complicity in the oppression and horror caused by Israel’s military occupation. https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/10/statement23-10-07/ Another good resource is a brief, 100-year history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict by the Al-Jazeera newspaper staff. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/whats-the-israel-palestine-conflict-about-a-simple-guide Both articles…
“The challenges we’re facing are man made- It’s our responsibility to unmake them.” An illuminating talk with a Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
Building on the issues highlighted in our GHJ website article about medical aid challenges for Palestinian patients, Dr. Abuelaish emphasized how health can serve as a bridge to peace and that the origins of problems stem from ignorance. He stressed the importance of communication to address conflicts. Drawing on his personal experiences as a Palestinian in a war-torn region, he highlighted the impact of war on innocent lives, particularly women and children. The talk underscored the need for a shift…