Hundreds of doctors gathered outside the World Medical Association (WMA) summit in Rotterdam, Netherlands, demanding the suspension of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA). The protest occurred on Saturday, where 81 healthcare workers displayed their scrubs, each representing a Palestinian healthcare worker currently detained by Israel.
The demonstration was organized by the IMA Out! coalition, which accused the IMA of violating ethical principles outlined in the WMA’s Code of Medical Ethics. Mejrem Ahmetaj, a general practitioner and member of IMA Out!, stated, "These scrubs should not be empty. Our colleagues belong with their patients, not in Israeli prisons. Today, we literally placed their names at the WMA’s doorstep."
Since October 2023, the conflict in Gaza has reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 1,700 Palestinian healthcare workers and the destruction of most hospitals and healthcare facilities in the region. The campaign criticized the IMA for its silence regarding the situation, asserting that the association is complicit in the destruction of Palestinian healthcare.
Ahmetaj further remarked, "The IMA is not a bystander. It defends these attacks and blocks international condemnation while Palestinian healthcare is being destroyed. That is not medical neutrality. That is complicity."
During the WMA summit, discussions were held regarding the destruction of Palestinian healthcare and the responsibilities of the international medical community. Jonathan Fluxman, representing IMA OUT!, stated, "Thirty years of WMA dialogue with the IMA has done nothing but give the IMA a sense of impunity. It is time for national medical associations and the WMA to speak out and take action. Break your ties with the IMA and suspend the IMA from the WMA now."
The IMA OUT! campaign also delivered a petition for the IMA’s suspension, signed by over 6,500 health workers globally. They called for accountability regarding the actions of Israeli doctors in the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Among those detained is Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, head of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital. His detention has sparked international concern, as he has reportedly faced torture and medical neglect. Protesters in Rotterdam displayed placards calling for his release. Abu Safia’s son, Elyas, emphasized the need for humane treatment of all detainees, stating, "My father and all Palestinian detainees must be treated in accordance with medical ethics, and doctors must abide by the Hippocratic oath they have taken. Care cannot be given based on whose life is deemed worthy."