The world is shocked by the outrageous atrocities that the Hamas terrorist group has committed on Israeli citizens at their homes on saturday morning, murdering more than 1200 people including families and young children, and massacring over 300 youngsters who attended an open-air music festival. 

In addition, the Hamas has kidnapped over 150 hostages, including elderly, women and children who are being held as bartering cards as well as human shields in the Gaza strip.

This is one of the most severe terrorist attacks ever.

Many world leaders have condemned these attacks, considering them as war crimes and as severe violations of human rights.

As a Public Health, Law & Ethics forum which strives to promote better health and protect Human Rights for the people of the world, we reach out to all national and international medical, public health and bioethical associations to put pressure on the Hamas to release the hostages and, until then, make sure that they have access to all medical and humanitarian needs. 

The world community should be deeply concerned about the life-threatening situations of non-combatant civilians who are held as hostages by the Hamas, including children and elderly persons. Their physical and mental health are at great risk and we call for the immediate intervention of the international community Organizations such as the: World Health Organization (WHO), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Red Crescent, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch.

We ask  organizations and  Individuals worldwide to join us in this call.

Israeli Forum for Public Health, Law and Bioethics 

Contact Email: Public.health@ima.org.il

 

Jonathan Davies, Adv. Secretary General for the World Association of Medical Law

Prof. Hagai Levine, Chairman, Israel Association of Public Health Physicians

Prof Dorit Nitzan, MD, MPH, RD Director, Masters Program in Emergency Medicine, School of Public Health Ben Gurion University 

Prof. Elliot M Berry, MD, FRCP Hebrew University Professor 

Prof. Nadav Davidovitch, Director, School of Public Health, Ben Gurion University.

Prof. Orly Manor, Chair, The Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research 

Dr. Adv. Shelly Kamin-Friedman, associate member, Israel Association of Public Health 

We the undersign support the call for help and rescue of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas