Doctors under Attack

In armed conflicts, medical personnel, hospitals, rescue facilities and patients are specially protected by international humanitarian law. ‘Healthcare is not a target!’ is the appeal of humanitarian actors in Gaza, Israel, Yemen, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine.

However, this protection is increasingly being disregarded, or healthcare infrastructure is even being deliberately targeted by the warring parties. This pattern has been impressively documented in Syria, where former ruler Assad deliberately had medical facilities destroyed. Currently, the bombing of hospitals, attacks on ambulances, and the detention and torture of healthcare personnel in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military are the focus of international attention. Numerous humanitarian and human rights organisations have documented these attacks, including the Israeli organisation Physicians for Human Rights. In its latest report, the organisation concludes that the extent and systematic nature of the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza constitutes a violation of the Genocide Convention.

One thing is clear: if the protection of medical facilities under international law is not enforced in war and attacks on medical facilities remain without consequences, this paves the way for a normalisation of violence against hospitals, doctors and patients. 

The documentary film ‘Gaza: Doctors under Attack’ impressively shows this reality.
The film was originally commissioned by the BBC, but was withdrawn and not broadcast due to concerns about impartiality. In July 2025, it was finally shown in the UK by Channel 4 and is available internationally via the Zeteo platform.

Following the screening, we want to discuss with representatives of humanitarian organisations and experts in international law the pressing question of what international legal basis exists for the protection of medical facilities, where it is not being upheld, and what politicians and the public must do to support the work of humanitarian organisations that are committed to protecting vital facilities and patients.

Programme:

6:30 – 6:35pm   Welcome and introduction: Imme Scholz, President of Heinrich Böll-Stiftung

6:35 – 7:35pm   Film screening: “Gaza: Doctors under Attack” (original version with English subtitles)

7:35 – 8:00pm   Conversation with Ramita Navai, member of the film team and investigative journalist

8:00 – 9:00pm   Panel discussion

• Julia Duchrow, Secretary General, Amnesty International Germany
• Guy Shalev, Director of Physicians for Human Rights, Israel (via online link)
• Lara Dovifat, Head of Advocacy at Doctors Without Borders Germany

Moderation: Layla Al-Zubaidi, Head of International Policy Divisions, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

Free admission. The event will be held in German and English with translation, and the film will be shown in its original version with English subtitles.

Contact: Louisa Reeh, reeh@boell.de

» On-site participation
at the Conference Center of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin

Please register. The number of places is unfortunately limited. If the room capacity is exhausted, we will broadcast the conference via video to other rooms. We would like to point out that there is no entitlement to a seat in the room.

» On the road to accessibility
At the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we are constantly striving to remove barriers. Whether in our offices, in the publication of publications or at online events. All information on this can be found under the following link: https://www.boell.de/en/accessibility/towards-greater-accessibility