Israel targets healthcare in West Bank; Trump announces withdrawal from WHO
This fortnight at the People's Health Dispatch
The recently introduced ceasefire in Gaza has not stopped Israeli assaults on Palestinian hospitals, health centers, and health workers, including in the West Bank. Dozens of nurses, doctors, and other health staff, including hospital directors Ahmed Muhanna and Hussam Abu Safiya, remain arbitrarily detained, while international health workers face severe restrictions to movement and work. With rehabilitation facilities destroyed, the long-term impacts of this genocide, especially on children, will be felt for decades.
In the United States, Donald Trump marked his return to the presidency by announcing a withdrawal from the World Health Organization. This decision is expected to deal a blow to the UN health agency’s finances, yet some analysts see it as an opportunity for the Global South to gain more influence over global health policies.
Meanwhile, health workers in the Philippines and France continue their fight against privatization, deteriorating working conditions, and the redirection of public funds to the private sector, highlighting shared struggles against corporate dominance in healthcare.
In focus: Health in Palestine
After Gaza, Israel attacks Jenin’s hospitals
Following the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, Israel has shifted its focus to attacking hospitals and health workers in the West Bank
In Gaza, fifteen children disabled a day in Israeli attacks
New analyses highlight the devastating toll of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, revealing that 15 children each day sustained injuries leading to permanent disabilities
Featured articles
Trump bids WHO goodbye: what comes next?
Donald Trump’s push to withdraw from the WHO raises budgetary concerns, but signals cautious hope for strengthening Global South voices in the forum
2024 in Review: Philippine workers fight for better wages and social protections
Workers in the Philippines faced various struggles in 2024, from inflation-driven wage demands to the fight for public health insurance
French healthcare system spends millions on rent to private landlords
Hospitals, health centers, and long-term care facilities in France are paying millions annually in rent to private landlords, deepening the strain on public healthcare services