More than 150 American health care workers who’ve been volunteering their skills in Gaza over the past two years have signed a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to hear their harrowing testimony and end the United States’ military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel’s intensifying offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
The signatories are made up of 152 physicians, surgeons, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives. Some of the health workers have worked in conflict zones across the world, but maintain that Gaza is the worst they’ve seen. All have condemned Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that led to Israel’s current campaign of destruction in Gaza.
“We are among the very few neutral American observers that Israel has permitted to enter Gaza for nearly two years,” the letter states. “Given our broad expertise and direct experience working throughout Gaza, we are uniquely qualified to comment on several matters of importance to our government regarding American support for Israel’s ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip.”
The workers say that they have collectively spent more than 460 weeks volunteering in 22 of Gaza’s built and field hospitals. The need for international medical workers steadily rose as Israel continued to attack hospitals, target Palestinian doctors, block lifesaving aid and medical resources, and bomb areas so frequently that hospital emergency rooms would face mass casualty events almost daily. Today, there are no fully functioning hospitals left in Gaza.
