Introducing the New Word: 'Healthocide'

On a grim day in September 2024, the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City was laid waste by Israeli military strikes during the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli authorities claimed that Hamas fighters were taking refuge within the hospital premises. The United Nations described the destruction as Gaza's most heinous hospital assault.

Amid such occurrences, a new term has arisen: 'healthocide.'

This expression, highlighted in a recent publication, characterizes the planned obliteration or impairment of health services.

Co-author and medicine professor at the American University of Beirut explains, "It captures the idea of deliberate and systematic eradication of healthcare systems, including hospitals, medical staff, and the well-being of entire populations. Essentially, healthocide denotes the fragmentation of health's holistic promise."

The Call for Awareness

With this term, Abi-Rached aims to highlight stark breaches of international law and galvanize global medical professionals to oppose such offenses.

The humanitarian sector's response to this new term is varied.

Healthcare Under Siege

Conflict zones worldwide have seen increased targeting of healthcare facilities and personnel.

According to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), over 3,600 incidents were recorded in 2024 alone, marking a 15% increase from the previous year.

Attacks on medical facilities are becoming a strategic component of conflicts. The transition from perceived collateral damage to intentional strategy signifies a deeply worrying trend.

These targeted acts amplify harm and fatality rates by demolishing medical infrastructure and harming those who provide care.

Healthocide: A Global Phenomenon

In Lebanon, the escalation of skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah post-Hamas' October 7 attack has seen healthcare specifically targeted. The SHCC report revealed 408 healthcare worker deaths and damage to facilities in over 200 incidents.

In Gaza, the World Health Organization noted that nearly all global health attacks post-October 2022 have happened there, with over 1,500 healthcare workers killed.

Justifications often pointed to military uses of medical facilities, but the severity and frequency of these strikes in places like Gaza continue to shock the international community.

The Need for a New Term

Abi-Rached and fellow health experts crafted the term 'healthocide' to draw attention to the silence from global medical entities concerning the razed health systems in regions like Gaza.

Some believe establishing 'healthocide' is pertinent to reinforcing the commitment to protecting healthcare and denouncing its violations.

Yet, others argue the phrase does not introduce a new crime, but rather, articulates behaviors already punishable under existing international law.

Acknowledging these concerns, leading voices stress accountability as vital to ensuring health worker safety and upholding the sanctity of medical neutrality.

Hopeful Conclusion

Although the term's utility is debated, it symbolizes a call to action against impunity. For some, it symbolizes hope that international accountability may someday cease the practice of targeting healthcare systems.

Ultimately, the word aims to provoke serious deliberation and instigate initiatives to protect medical infrastructure globally from becoming collateral in warfare.