January 6, 2025

International day of struggle of health workers agains the genocide in Gaza and for the freedom of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

On January 6, an important day of international struggle was held, which was taken up by health personnel from different parts of the globe to raise their voices against the massacre in Gaza and the massive destruction that fascist Zionism, led by imperialism, is carrying out, and which has left practically no hospital standing there and has imprisoned doctors such as is the outstanding case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, whose whereabouts are unknown today. Along with him, another 450 people, including health personnel, were kidnapped by the forces of fascist Israel. Of the 36 hospitals that existed in the region, today only 16 are still in operation. In addition to this terrible situation, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza issued an urgent warning since the hospitals that are still standing, the oxygen stations, the drug storage facilities and the neonatal incubators are facing total closure due to lack of fuel.

Thousands of doctors, nurses, medical students, university professors, accompanied by thousands of young people and workers in different cities around the world organized protests, demonstrations, active strikes to denounce the massacres by murderous Zionism. The action day was called by the international organization “Doctors against Genocide” under the motto “Sick from genocide” and the call was to take a sick leave day, a day with a sick leaf and not to go to hospitals, schools, workplaces, in fact establishing a call for a strike to stop the massacre. Different organizations and workers around the world took this call into their own hands.

In USA, a major demonstration took place on Manhattan Avenue in front of the Tisch Hospital in New York. In San Francisco Bay, around a hundred workers demonstrated at the San Francisco General Hospital chanting “Our taxes turn hospitals into mass graves” and “Health workers demand: Free Palestine!”. In these actions, doctors and nurses denounced that they are persecuted and punished by their bosses and employers for supporting the Palestinian cause, for having gone to volunteer or simply for having a badge or pin alluding to it. Another demonstration took place on the campus of Stanford University in California, where medical students and professors carried out the protest. A demonstration also took place in San Diego and Washington DC. In these demonstrations it was also denounced that the US government provides millions and millions of dollars to the Zionist state to massacre and destroy hospitals in Palestine, while US workers suffer from a health system that is inefficient and practically unattainable. Dr. Rupa Marya, a professor at the University of San Francisco who is currently under sanction for her support to Palestine, said: “We have a record number of people on the streets, many of whom have lost their homes because the most common cause of bankruptcy in USA is medical debt.”

In Canada, a group of doctors in Quebec suspended their non-essential activities on Monday to protest against the bloodshed in Gaza. The convening organizations were Quebec Doctors Against Genocide and the Health Workers Alliance for Palestine. (Photos)
In Brussels, in front of the European Parliament, health workers gathered with the same goal: condemning the genocide in Gaza and the attacks on health facilities and workers, demanding the freedom of Dr. Abu Safiya. (Video in note)
In Turkey, in Erzurum, medical personnel also held a vigil and protest denouncing Zionist war crimes and calling for the release of the kidnapped.
In London, protesters on Monday demanded to the British government and its prime minister: “Keir Starmer you can't hide, we charge you with genocide.” They urged the British government to end arms shipments to Israel and called for a ceasefire.

In South Africa, the action day took place on Thursday, January 2, when health workers also raised their voices against genocide, denouncing that starvation has been used as a weapon of war in Gaza and that Palestine is the country with the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. Also in Brisbane, Australia, a protest by health workers with the same demands also took place on January 3.

Stop the massacres and extermination by Zionism in Gaza and all of occupied Palestine! Long live the struggle and international solidarity of the workers! This is the way!
To stop the genocide and extermination of the Palestinian nation, unions and organizations that claim to be of the working class must call for an International General Strike right now, as the Palestinian unions did in 2024.
Biden, EU, Netanyahu, are genocidaires!
Free Dr Abu Safiya and all Palestinian prisoners from Zionist jails!
For the destruction of the fascist Zionist State of Israel!
Free Palestine from the river to the sea with its capital in Jerusalem!