The fundamental right to health and to civilian people’s life have been ruthlessly attacked in Gaza and in the other Occupied Territories of Palestine over the last two years. International and humanitarian laws have been systematically violated under the eyes of the international community, whose inertia has been astounding. Finally, the ongoing genocide in Gaza has been acknowledged by official UN reports, alongside previous declarations by human rights experts and civil society organizations. Israel’s strategy has determined catastrophic consequences for Palestinian people’s health, dignity, and survival. Hospitals and clinics have been destroyed together with any other health infrastructure, thousands of health workers killed, humanitarian access systematically obstructed, hunger fueled as a means of extermination. Human devastation is only coupled by the magnitude of the ecocide in the area, still very much under siege notwithstanding the declared ceasefire and the pretense of a peace process in place. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since.

This online dialogue will bring together key voices to reflect on how the global health community and multilateral institutions can respond to such a crisis with integrity and accountability. It will examine the limits and potential of WHO’s mandate in contexts of genocide and occupation, and discuss the moral and political responsibilities of international bodies when Member States are complicit in mass atrocities.

The webinar will provide the opportunity for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health to present her recent work on Gaza. It will also explore the political action of the so-called Hague Group – a coalition of countries from the Global South formed in early 2025 to uphold international law and enforce rulings from the International Court of Justice—as a potential force for collective action to protect the right to health and human life.

Panelists:

Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health

Dr. Mohammed Salha, Interim Director of Al Awda Hospital, Gaza

Dr. Akihiro Seita, Director of Health & WHO Special Representative, UNRWA

Nicoletta Dentico, Programme Head Society for International Development and G2H2 Co-President, moderator