As the conflict in Gaza drags beyond 600 days, the targeting of medical workers has become a grim hallmark of the ongoing violence. Last night, three paramedics, Hussein Muhissen, Director of Ambulance and Emergency Services, and paramedics Wael Al-Attar and Bara’a Afaneh, were killed by an Israeli strike while responding to urgent calls in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighbourhood. These losses are part of a systematic campaign against healthcare workers, blatantly violating international humanitarian laws designed to protect those risking their lives to save others.

Fares Afaneh, who leads ambulance services in northern Gaza and lost his son Bara’a in the attack, described the strike as a deliberate execution. The paramedics were clearly marked, wearing uniforms and driving ambulances with emergency signs, yet they were targeted in a densely populated civilian area. This ruthless action undermines every norm meant to safeguard medical personnel, turning their life-saving work into a deadly mission. Despite the destruction of much of Gaza’s emergency infrastructure and ongoing bombardments, paramedics continue their work with unwavering courage.

The toll on Gaza’s medical community is devastating. Since October 2023, over 1,500 medical personnel, including ambulance crews and civil defence teams, have been killed. These figures reveal a calculated strategy to weaken Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system and deny essential aid to civilians caught in the crossfire. The targeting of ambulances and rescue workers not only causes tragic loss of life but also deepens the humanitarian crisis.

The horror is compounded by incidents such as the massacre of 15 paramedics in Rafah earlier this year, where video evidence exposed the deliberate killing of clearly identified medical teams. Likewise, the execution of six-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, along with the paramedics who attempted to rescue them, highlights the inhumanity inflicted on civilians and those who aid them. These atrocities, documented with chilling detail, expose the grim reality behind the rhetoric of conflict.

International law, embodied in the Geneva Conventions, is clear: medical personnel must be protected in war zones. Yet these protections have been flagrantly ignored in Gaza, where paramedics face death simply for doing their duty. The world’s silence in the face of these crimes speaks volumes, while Gaza’s heroes continue their work under fire, embodying resilience amid relentless suffering.