The Council of the European Young Family Doctors Movement (EYFDM) welcomes WONCA’s statement on protecting health workers and patients in conflict zones (1). We stand fully behind its call to uphold medical neutrality, protect healthcare staff, and guarantee access to food, water, and essential medical supplies.
As per previous statements from Wonca Europe, and across the medical community, we continue to denounce the Russian attacks in Ukraine, including the targeting of civilians and health care facilities. We also join WONCA in denouncing the human rights atrocities and attacks on civilians, aid, displacement camps and medical facilities in the war in Sudan.
At the same time, we stress that the systematic destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza is without precedent in its scale and intent. More than 1500 healthcare workers have been killed, many more detained or displaced, and hospitals and ambulances repeatedly targeted. Essential medical supplies are deliberately obstructed.(2) We also call for release of all hostages and to stop all unlawful detention and mistreatment. These acts constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and, as the International Court of Justice has noted, may fall within the scope of the Genocide Convention.(3)
While attacks on healthcare sadly occur in many conflicts, Gaza represents a unique and urgent threat to the very foundations of humanitarian law and medical ethics. As young doctors, we have a moral duty to directly address this humanitarian crisis.
We therefore call upon WONCA and all its member associations to utilize their diplomatic channels and professional networks to advocate for full compliance with international humanitarian law. In particular, we urge WONCA to continue engaging constructively with all relevant medical associations, including those in conflict-affected regions, in order to encourage clear institutional positions and the advocacy of the immediate cessation of any actions targeting healthcare workers and medical facilities. When member associations do not demonstrate active commitment to these fundamental principles, we believe WONCA should consider appropriate institutional measures, to uphold the integrity of its core values. Ensuring accountability for violations and advocating effectively with governmental and international bodies remain essential to protecting the right to health. WONCA’s influence stems not only from its principles, but from the collective strength it can mobilize through its global network of professional associations.
As medical professionals, we must address with clarity the humanitarian situation in Gaza and other conflict zones. When professional institutions remain silent in the face of systematic violations, such actions not only persist but risk becoming normalized—undermining healthcare systems globally and affecting populations across all nations. Institutional silence carries the risk of inadvertent complicity. As the European Young Family Doctors Movement (EYFDM), we reaffirm our commitment to universal medical principles and call upon the global medical community to stand united in protecting healthcare as a fundamental human right.
- Health and aid workers targeted in conflicts around the world, UN agency says. (2025, August 23). UN News
- De Vogli, Roberto et al, Break the selective silence on the genocide in Gaza, The Lancet, Volume 406, Issue 10504, 688 – 689
