(The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 23 July 2014)
Vania Volach-Menaa, Oscar Embona, Erez Onnb, Masad Barhumc,d, Anthony Ludera,d
a Ziv Medical Centre, Safed, Israel
b Baruch Padeh Medical Centre, Poriya, Israel
c Galilee Medical Centre, Nahariya, Israel
d Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel
Corresponding author: Professor Anthony Luder, Department of Paediatrics, Ziv Medical Centre, Box 1008 Safed 13100, Israel.

Sir,
We, a group of doctors and directors of hospitals in northern Israel, write this letter in response to the “Open Letter to the People of Gaza” (‘the letter’) published electronically in “The Lancet” on 23/7/14. We too work every day for the saving of lives without respect to race creed or nationality. In our hospitals nearly 1000 casualties of the Syrian civil war have been given medical treatment of the highest dedication and standard, without charge.1-4 It is to be noted with sadness that the authors of the letter have not yet found time to vent their anger and concern regarding this particular cruel war that has so far cost almost 190,000 lives.1
We, who live and work in a democracy and have various political views, are united in our opinion that the above “letter” contains disinformation and is deliberately and dishonestly misleading for the otherwise uninformed reader. The distortions are beyond anything reasonably expected of medical professionals.
Residents of Gaza have natural human rights including a dignified life, prosperity, freedom of movement and education. These they are daily denied by a ferociously violent terrorist regime (Hamas is so classified by the UN, EU, US and others) that suppresses women, Christians, homosexuals and displays contempt for democratic values. Hamas has its declared object, as its own charter clearly states, the destruction of the State of Israel and killing of Jews.5,6 The letter’s authors do not mention or condemn, even in passing, the endless missile attacks (at the time of writing over 2000 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israel during the last two weeks) on cities and innocent citizens. Every missile is a war crime. This shows a lack of balance which is alien to a scientific journal. It shows the double standards
adopted by the letter’s authors, who claim to be motivated by moral, ethical, and humanistic considerations.
Displays of rage against Israel, whose three young boys were kidnapped and brutally murdered by Hamas at the outset of this tragedy, are misplaced and simply prolong the enormous damage sustained by the Palestinian population of Gaza, all of which is Hamas’ responsibility. The attempt of the letter’s authors to grant legitimacy to this terror group is unacceptable, especially in a respected medical journal.
A medical journal is also not a suitable arena for geo-political debate, but we believe the general reader should know that in 2005 Israel unilaterally evacuated all Israeli civilians and military from Gaza. Until Hamas took control in a military coup in 20077 (in which nearly 1000 Palestinians were killed by Hamas), the residents of Gaza carried on close economic and trade relations with Israel. Many Gazans enjoyed (and many doctors from our hospitals were personally involved in) medical treatment in clinics and hospitals in Israel. The so-called military blockade on Gaza stems solely from Israel’s need to prevent the entry of weapons and terror-tunnel building materials. This is crucial, since materials supposed to be used for civilian building have been diverted to the extensive network of underground military bunkers and terror tunnels throughout Gaza, currently being exposed and destroyed. Egypt has restricted its border for the same reasons.8,9
Israel continues to supply food, medicines and other necessities, and continues to supply electricity to Gaza. Israel has opened a field hospital at the “Erez” crossing for the benefit of innocent Gazans and permits medical assistance in every way. Against this, hospitals in Gaza like Wafa Hospital have been documented as firing stages
against Israeli forces.10 In addition in three cases missile caches have been found in the precincts of UNRWA schools,11,12 a finding that has been condemned by the UN secretary-general. Hamas’ refusal to agree to many cease-fires during the campaign reveals its murderous nature and cynical disregard for the lives of its own people. We are in the face of an unprecedented strategy designed to bring about the deaths of its own innocent people. This is a war crime without a name. Israel does not impede any third party (including Turkey) from importing supervised humanitarian aid into Gaza. One can only imagine the benefit that the billions of dollars that have been given by donors to Gaza could have brought to Gazans if Hamas had not been the rulers.
We are saddened and pained by all victims of violence, especially children and women and other civilians who have been killed and injured in a war that was forced on Israel by Hamas. We believe that when the world realizes that the war going on now is not against Gazans but rather against an organization that has taken hostage an entire civilian population, the true liberation of Gaza will begin.