Diagnosing the Barriers: The Right to Health in Israel and the oPt

With no access to a functioning medical system, at least 18,500 patients from Gaza wait for medical evacuation by the World Health Organization. But, where to? While Israel argues the answer is third countries, Physicians for Human Rights Israel is pushing for evacuation to the Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This episode discusses the current healthcare situation in Gaza and the urgent need to reopen the medical evacuation corridor to the West Bank. Join PHRI’s Keren Shavit and Lee Caspi for a sobering discussion about the urgency of the situation – every delay risks thousands of lives and generates untold human suffering. * In this episode, the term “antibiotic resistance” is used to refer to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which encompasses resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments. ** For background on the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and the cascading effect described in the episode, see PHRI’s report “Destruction of Conditions of Life: A Health Analysis of the Gaza Genocide” - https://www.phr.org.il/en/genocide-in-gaza-eng/?pr=20812

Medical systems are meant to protect life.They rely on visibility: documentation, communication, accountability.But what happens when those same systems fail to interrupt harm?In this episode, we dive into two recent publications by Physicians for Human Rights Israel — one documenting deaths and disappearances in detention, and the other exposing the erosion of medical ethics inside hospitals.Together, they raise a difficult question:When harm is both produced and obscured — who is left to witness?

This episode brings together two independently researched reports — one by Physicians for Human Rights–Israel and one by Physicians for Human Rights — combining women’s testimonies and clinicians’ accounts to examine how attacks on health infrastructure, food deprivation, and restricted medical access in Gaza have reshaped pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn survival.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Shani Bar Tuvia about a new report based on dozens of interviews, shedding light on the silencing — both formal and informal — of Palestinian doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals in Israel's medical institutions.We examine what happens when coexistence depends on erasure, and what this reality means for medicine, ethics, and identity within Israel’s healthcare system.

In this episode of Diagnosing the Barriers, we look at how civic space in Israel is rapidly shrinking—and what that means for human rights organizations and activists in Israel and Palestine, to try and operate under increasing political pressure.

In this episode, we sit down with Tirza Leibowitz, Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, to talk about PHRI’s groundbreaking report “Genocide in Gaza.”The paper made global headlines as—for the first time—Israeli human rights organizations openly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. In this episode we examine how the report traces genocide through the systematic destruction of the basic conditions needed to survive: healthcare, food, water, and shelter.Trigger warning: We discuss difficult issues, including attacks on hospitals, starvation, and the targeting of medical workers.

In this episode, we dissect the new PHRI report “Unlawfully detained, tortured and staved: the plight of Gaza's medical workers in Israeli custody", with a powerful conversation with Maha Loulou, one of the report's authors. The report exposes the devastating realities faced by those on the frontlines of care who have been arrested, interrogated, or silenced for doing their work.Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of difficult and painful issues, including imprisonment, torture, and the targeting of medical workers. Please listen with care.

Despite Israel having a public health care system, the cost of medication is at times a deterrent for many low-income and vulnerable populations who may have to choose between prescriptions or other necessities. In this episode, we will dive into the devastating impact that medication payment has on these populations – particularly the elderly and low-income and how Israel's current economic and social crises are exacerbating the issue. Many thanks to Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe for generously funding PHRI's project to provide much-needed medication and equipment for vulnerable individuals and communities in Israel.For more information about PHRI, please visit our website https://www.phr.org.il/en/.

The Sde Teiman detention facility and adjoining field hospital were built to hold and treat an undisclosed number of Gazan detainees who were captured during the war. "Interns describe this place as heaven for practice because they can (carry out medical procedures) they're not trained for." In this episode of Diagnosing the Barriers, we will dive into what we know following whistleblower testimonies regarding the inhumane treatment and violations of medical ethics occurring at the Sde Teiman detention facility. For further insights, read our comprehensive position paper detailing the deeply concerning human rights violations reported at Sde Teiman: https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5954_medical_ethics_Report_Eng.pdf.For more information on PHRI, please visit our website at https://www.phr.org.il/en/.

Since the onset of hostilities, the closure of all Israeli passages in and out of Gaza has profoundly intensified the crisis in Gaza, with Israel's stringent monitoring and restrictions on aid exacerbating the war's devastating impact. The situation has reached a critical point where, without immediate change, 1.1 million Gazans are on the brink of facing catastrophic levels of starvation. In this episode, we delve into the international legal frameworks governing such crises and analyze the imperative on Israel to facilitate the entry of crucial supplies, including food, water, and medical aid. Join us as we explore the urgent need for intervention and the pathways to alleviating the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For more information on PHRI, please visit our website at www.phr.org.il.

In this episode, we delve into the worsening circumstances faced by incarcerated Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention facilities in the wake of the severe lockdown measures enacted by the Israeli incarcerating authorities post-October 7th and during the war on Gaza. We shed light on the harrowing constraints and the systematic infringement of rights faced by Palestinians under Israeli custody, whether in official detention facilities or undisclosed military bases. For a more comprehensive overview and in-depth insights, read PHRI's report here: https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/5845_Imprisoned_Paper_Eng.pdf. For more information on PHRI, please visit our website at www.phr.org.il.

This episode will delve into the devastating consequences of the Israel-Gaza war on the healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). It will discuss how deliberate targeting of medical facilities and personnel has exacerbated the plight of vulnerable communities in Gaza and the West Bank. Join us in envisioning the path toward reconstruction and healing in the (hopeful) post-ceasefire future. For further insights, read our comprehensive position paper detailing the harrowing assaults and lasting impact on the healthcare system: https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/investigate-israels-assault-eng.pdf. For more information on PHRI, please visit our website at www.phr.org.il.

Explore the overlooked impact of October 7th, where Thai migrant workers found themselves excluded from the Israeli government's support programs for survivors of the Hamas attacks, despite many being directly affected by them. Learn about the realities facing Israel's status-less population (i.e. asylum seekers, work migrants and others), including the direct and indirect impact that October 7th and the State's response had, and how marginalized communities found themselves pushed even further to the fringes. For more information on PHRI, please visit our website at www.phr.org.il.