‘We have a duty’: US doctor says ceasefire an ‘ethical imperative’ in Gaza

Of all the doctors and medical personnel killed in Gaza this year, Dr Osaid Alser estimates he knew half personally.

Alser, a researcher and resident at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in the United States, grew up in Gaza City, Palestine’s largest city. He started his medical career there, starting as a student and eventually becoming a teacher himself.

But since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, Alser has watched as Israeli bombs have rained down on his hometown and military forces have stormed into medical centres.

The result has been the near collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. Only 11 hospitals — a third of those in the enclave — remain operational, with dwindling amounts of fuel and medical supplies.

Faced with the death and destruction in Gaza, Alser felt compelled to speak up. “We have a duty to say: Stop the war and ceasefire now,” he told media.

To him, calling for a ceasefire was an ethical imperative, not a political statement.

But not all healthcare providers feel the same way. Many feel an obligation to avoid commenting on conflicts, as part of a tradition that views medical workers as above the fray.

However, the intensity of the war — and its particular toll on Gaza’s health system — have spurred some to ask: When do medical professionals have a responsibility to speak out?

The debate erupted last month with a meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA), the largest professional organisation for physicians in the US.