Doctors Protest at World Medical Meeting Over Gaza Healthcare
Hundreds of doctors gathered outside the World Medical Association General Assembly in Rotterdam on 10 October 2026 to demand suspension of the Israeli Medical Association.
The Assembly was held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 7 to 10 October 2026. Demonstrators carried placards and wore white coats and scrubs. Organizers placed the action directly before delegates meeting inside. Al Jazeera
Protest in Rotterdam
The demonstration was organised by the IMA Out! coalition. The group delivered a petition calling for suspension of the Israeli Medical Association. It was signed by more than 6,500 health workers worldwide.
Protesters hung 81 sets of scrubs facing the Assembly hall. Each bore the name of a Palestinian healthcare worker held in Israeli detention. The uniforms confronted delegates entering the meeting with names, not slogans alone.
Placards demanded release of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, head of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, who is held in Israeli detention. Other signs named detained and killed colleagues. More than 1,700 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023. Al Jazeera
Physicians demanding suspension accuse the Israeli Medical Association of "remaining silent as Palestinian healthcare is systematically destroyed." That charge was voiced outside the hall. It centers on professional duty, not only civilian harm.
The Israeli Medical Association attended the Rotterdam Assembly. It has urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the policy of withholding clearance due to its "catastrophic impact on the Palestinian healthcare system," according to its own English-language statement. IMA
Parallel legal pressure
A separate filing was announced during the same Assembly. The Hind Rajab Foundation filed an Article 15 communication with the International Criminal Court alleging medical complicity in torture of Palestinians at Sde Teiman. The filing was timed to coincide with the Israeli Medical Association's presence in Rotterdam. Hind Rajab Foundation
The Foundation seeks suspension of the Israeli Medical Association from the World Medical Association. Haaretz
Article 15 is a rule that allows information on alleged crimes to be sent to the ICC Prosecutor. Think of it like handing a file to a prosecutor's office for review. Submission does not open an investigation by itself. It places material before the Office of the Prosecutor for assessment.
WMA's parallel record
During the Assembly, the Association adopted the Declaration of Rotterdam on the Protection of Medical Neutrality. That term means hospitals, patients and health workers should be shielded from attack. It inaugurated a new President in Rotterdam on 9 October 2026. On 8 October 2026 in Rotterdam, it said it was deeply concerned by the scale of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.
On Gaza, the Association adopted a resolution calling on the Government of Israel to immediately cease attacks on healthcare and to uphold humanitarian law and protect healthcare in Gaza. Humanitarian law means the legal rules meant to protect civilians in war. WMA
The Association also strongly condemns the deliberate missile strike on Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, Israel, and calls for protection of healthcare facilities. It remains deeply concerned about the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations' suspension of its Israeli member organization. WMA
The broader context here is how medical bodies manage claims to neutrality under sustained conflict. Associations present themselves as guardians of ethics across borders. Governments and advocacy groups test that claim by demanding exclusion, investigation or public censure. Rotterdam brought those pressures into one venue.
Looking ahead for the WMA, the choice is procedural as well as political. Admission and suspension decisions affect precedent, funding flows, congress participation and ethics enforcement. Rejection of the petition would not end scrutiny. Acceptance would invite challenges from other delegations over consistency. Either outcome will be read closely in Geneva, Brussels and national capitals where health diplomacy meets humanitarian law. The next signals to watch are whether the WMA issues a formal response to the 6,500-signature petition, whether the ICC Prosecutor acknowledges the Article 15 communication, and whether the Rotterdam Declaration gains operational language on detention medicine. Silence will also convey information.
