Amid the international community’s failure to end the Israeli war on Gaza, various health and medical organizations in the United States and Canada joined the Doctors Against Genocide organization to renew demands for an end to the ethnic cleansing and human rights violations in the occupied territories. This call was marked by protests accompanied by a day-long work stoppage on Saturday, January 6.

Earlier, Doctors Against Genocide issued a statement urging healthcare workers to take a one-day sick leave and abstain from work in protest against the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza for the 15th consecutive month. This war has resulted in approximately 50,000 deaths — most of whom are women and children — more than 100,000 injuries and the displacement of around two million people amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

The statement called on global medical institutions and organizations to activate the hashtag #SickFromGenocide across social media platforms, expressing their outrage over the international silence regarding human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza. The organization emphasized that this silence normalizes the humanitarian disaster as if it were a “natural state of affairs.”

The statement explained that “abstaining from work due to genocide is not a holiday; it is a call to action to end the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.”

“As healthcare professionals, we step away from our duties to highlight the urgent need for global intervention. This move is not just a call for justice in Gaza but also a plea to preserve the dignity of humanity.” The statement also demanded accountability for Israel’s brutal crimes against Palestinians and an end to Israeli attacks on unarmed civilians in Gaza.

Protests and press conferences were held in various locations across the United States on January 6, including New York University’s hospital in Manhattan, San Francisco General Hospital in California, Brigham Hospital in Boston, Abbott Hospital in Minneapolis, OHSU Health Center in Portland, Oregon and the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) affiliated with Wayne State University in Detroit.

Additionally, a free clinic was inaugurated to treat mental health issues caused by the genocide, named after Palestinian leader Kamal Adwan, who was assassinated by Israel in Beirut, Lebanon in 1973.

“On this day, we will collectively withdraw from our work, taking a mental health sick day to confront the unbearable grief, moral violations and trauma resulting from witnessing the systematic destruction of lives, communities and healthcare systems in Gaza,” Dr. Nidal Jboor, president of Doctors Against Genocide, stated.

The statement highlighted recent incidents, such as the bombing and burning of  the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza and the arrest of pediatrician Dr. Hossam Abu Safieh, as clear examples of the systematic targeting of healthcare workers and medical facilities in the Gaza Strip.

The participating medical activists criticized the double standards of American medical institutions and associations, such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These organizations quickly condemned attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine, but remained silent on the systematic destruction of the healthcare sector in Gaza.

The statement also condemned U.S. policies and support for Israel.

“The White House continues to send taxpayer money to support these atrocities, ignoring alarming international reports on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,” The statement read.

Many international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have described the events in Gaza as genocide.

The organizers emphasized that healthcare workers in Gaza are a vital part of the humanitarian response, but are subjected to systematic targeting.

The statement stated that Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians working in relief and medical sectors, a figure described as the highest recorded in the World Health Organization’s records of armed conflict casualties globally.

The statement concluded by affirming that the only remedy for peace in the occupied territories lies in ending the genocide, achieving justice for the victims, holding perpetrators accountable and investing taxpayer money in improving human lives instead of supporting occupation, ethnic cleansing and war crimes.