Israel Killed/Imprisoned Directors of All North Gaza Hospitals

As of July 2, 2025, Israeli forces targeted the building where Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, was staying with part of his family, and killed him. With the killing of Al-Sultan, Israel has killed or detained the directors of all hospitals in northern Gaza, according to Healthcare Workers Watch.

“The death of Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan is a catastrophic loss both to the medical community and to Gaza as a whole,” Healthcare Workers Watch stated. A heart specialist – one of only two remaining in the area – Dr. Al-Sultan had dedicated his life to patient care and the training of future health workers. “He is the 70th healthcare worker to be killed by the IOF in the past 50 days,” Healthcare Workers Watch added. “Israel’s lethal targeting of healthcare workers is not only causing a horrific loss of life but also obliterating their decades of lifesaving medical expertise at a time when their skills could not be needed more.”

Meanwhile, dozens of Dr. Al-Sultan colleagues remain in Israeli prisons, including Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, director of Al-Awda Hospital, and the director of Kamal Adwan, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was abducted in late December 2024. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 1,500 Palestinian health workers.

“At least 185 healthcare workers from Gaza and the West Bank were estimated to be in Israeli detention as of February 2025,” 25 organizations warned in a recent joint statement, calling for their immediate release. “The conditions of many of those still detained remain unknown. Many of those released have reported severe abuse, while some have died in custody.”

British doctors vote to break relations with Israel Medical Association

The continued assault on Palestinian healthcare workers and infrastructure remains a major concern and action point for medical professionals worldwide. At the annual representative meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA) held from June 23-25 in Liverpool, members passed five motions addressing health in Palestine and their own right to protest the ongoing genocide.

These motions reaffirmed previous BMA positions, including the condemnation of attacks on healthcare, and calling on the British government to respect guidance from the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court related to Israel’s actions in Gaza. They also emphasized the right of doctors and medical students to speak out against war crimes without fear of reprisal.

“Doctors and medical students must be able to legitimately challenge the actions of states and armed forces, especially when healthcare is under threat, without being unfairly accused of any kind of discrimination or threatened with disciplinary action,” the BMA stated.

Additionally, the BMA voted to oppose the integration of Israel-supportive firm Palantir into the National Health Service and to stop engaging with the Israel Medical Association “unless it endorses medical neutrality and condemns assaults on Gaza’s healthcare system,” BMA members reported on social media.

Israel’s “aid distribution” kills hundreds

Meanwhile, Israel’s takeover of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza continued to worsen the crisis. Since Israeli authorities seized total control over collection and distribution of supplies, violence at aid access points has skyrocketed.

“The weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme have been some of the deadliest and most violent since October 2023,” warned more than 200 organizations in a July 1 statement. “In less than four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4000 injured just trying to access and distribute food.”

“Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites,” the organizations added. “With Gaza’s healthcare system in ruins, many of those shot are left to bleed out alone, beyond the reach of ambulances and denied lifesaving medical care.”

People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by the People’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and subscriptions to People’s Health Dispatch, click here.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch