Position Statement

AMA statement on the conflict in Israel and Gaza

Published 24 April 2024

The Australian Medical Association supports the World Medical Association (WMA) Council Resolution on the Protection of Healthcare in Israel and Gaza.

The resolution calls for a range of actions including a bilateral, negotiated and sustainable ceasefire to address the ongoing health and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

AMA President, Professor Steve Robson, and immediate Past President, Professor Omar Khorshid, voted to support the resolution at a meeting of the 226th WMA Council session in Seoul, Korea in April 2024.

The council resolution is the latest in a series of actions undertaken by the WMA to raise awareness of the importance of medical neutrality in conflict zones and the protection of health care workers.

Medical neutrality

The AMA believes that all parties involved in the conflict in Israel and Gaza must respect the principles of medical neutrality during times of armed conflict.

All parties involved in the conflict must ensure healthcare personnel, transportation and facilities are protected and ensure doctors and other healthcare workers can fulfil their ethical duties to provide safe and impartial care to all requiring medical care.

The AMA supports WMA calls that all parties involved in the conflict must:

respect established International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and not use health facilities as military quarters or depots, nor to target health personnel facilities and vehicles
provide to health personnel the adequate conditions to treat all patients with humanity and in compliance with the ethical values of their professions, including medical neutrality
use humanitarian corridors to permit the safe provision of health equipment and humanitarian supplies required in Gaza.