Australian Healthcare Workers Urge Sanctions on Israel

More than 1,000 Australian healthcare workers have signed open letters urging the government to impose sanctions on Israel to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The letters demand urgent action to stop the ongoing destruction and suffering caused by the conflict.

One of the letters was organised by Wollongong pharmacist Yossra Aboulfadl, who has supported Australian doctors returning from Gaza to share firsthand accounts of the devastation. According to the World Health Organization, at least 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed, and since October 2023, there have been 697 recorded attacks on healthcare facilities.

United Nations officials and independent humanitarian groups have raised concerns that Israel is blocking essential supplies, including food, medicine, water, and fuel, using starvation as a tactic of warfare. The letter calls on the Australian government to increase funding and logistical support to trusted humanitarian organisations working in Gaza and to apply sustained diplomatic pressure to lift the blockade.

Healthcare professionals across Australia, including doctors, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists, signed the letter over four days, providing their names, titles, and locations. Many are deeply affected by the scale of destruction, particularly the targeting of medical workers. In April, the Israel Defense Forces admitted killing 15 emergency workers in Gaza, including medics, civil defence workers, and a UN employee. Their bodies were found near destroyed ambulances and fire trucks.

The conflict has resulted in massive loss of life. The Israeli government reported 1,200 Israeli deaths during a Hamas attack in October 2023, while the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza states that more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since then. Allegations of genocide have been denied by Israel but were brought before the International Court of Justice by South Africa.

The Australian government has provided $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and Lebanon since October 2023 and has condemned extremist violence on both sides. Officials say they continue to press Israel to allow the rapid and unimpeded delivery of aid to Gaza and call for all parties to return to ceasefire negotiations.

A second open letter organised by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Doctors for Palestine, signed by 900 Australian doctors, also calls for immediate government action to halt the dismantling of Gaza’s healthcare system. The letter demands targeted sanctions on Israel to address the humanitarian emergency.