A coalition of prominent artists, medical professionals, and human rights organisations has issued a stark demand for the immediate restoration of healthcare in Gaza, accusing Israel of enacting policies that have deliberately destroyed the Palestinian territory's medical system.
Celebrities and Rights Groups Unite in Urgent Appeal
The letter, addressed to the state of Israel and world leaders and shared exclusively with the Guardian, bears signatures from actors Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo, and Ilana Glazer, alongside musician Brian Eno, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, and actor Morgan Spector. They are joined by Israeli human rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, as well as numerous humanitarian organisations.
The document states unequivocally: "Israel's systematic attacks on hospitals and unlawful blockade have collapsed Gaza's healthcare system." It further alleges that through its military activities and policies, the Israeli government has "deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza" while denying life-saving aid.
The Personal Tragedy Highlighting Systemic Failure
The first signatory is Wesam Hamada, the mother of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl from Gaza City killed by Israeli fire in January 2024. Her death became a symbol of the crisis when Palestinian paramedics, dispatched to rescue her, were themselves shelled and killed. Her story is the subject of an Oscar-shortlisted film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, who also signed the letter.
"Hind Rajab did not die because help was impossible, but because it was denied," Ben Hania stated. Her mother revealed Hind had dreamed of being a doctor, always playing with medical toys. "Hind's dream is no longer to become a doctor," Hamada said, "but for the children of Gaza to find a doctor, a hospital, medicine, and safety."
A Healthcare System in Ruins
The letter's grim assessment is backed by alarming statistics. The UN Human Rights Office estimates 94% of Gaza's hospitals have been damaged or destroyed since Israel's assault began in 2023. The NGO Healthcare Workers Watch reports at least 1,722 healthcare workers have been killed over two years of war, with a further 384 unlawfully detained.
A UN expert panel has determined Israel's attacks constitute "medicide" – the systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare, which they frame as part of a larger campaign legal experts have called genocide. The letter calls for "immediate, unconditional, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access" for medical personnel and supplies.
This access is critically blocked. Israel recently banned dozens of aid agencies, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), citing failure to meet registration requirements the groups say endanger staff. MSF supports one in five hospital beds and one in three mothers during childbirth in Gaza. The agency estimated in December that over 18,500 Palestinians await medical evacuation, with at least 1,000 having died while waiting.
Dr Thaer Gazawneh, a Chicago-based emergency physician who signed, believes the restrictions aim to force displacement. "[They] are making the living conditions in Gaza so unbearable that people will be forced to be displaced again," he said. Volunteering in the West Bank, he described emergency response as nearly impossible due to checkpoints and arbitrary arrests.
In response to Guardian enquiries, Cogat, the Israeli agency controlling Gaza access, stated its registration process "is intended to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas," despite a recent US analysis finding no evidence of systematic looting by the group. The Israeli military offered no comment.
The letter will be presented to UK and EU leaders in parliamentary meetings this week. Jewish comedian and actor Ilana Glazer, a consistent critic of the war, framed the appeal in fundamental terms: "This call for medical access is urgent because medicine and care is the bare minimum of humanity, and when even that's blocked, it puts every person on the planet at risk of being treated the same way: subhuman."
