TORONTO, June 20,
2024 /CNW/ - In collaboration with healthcare workers
nationwide, on June 22, 2024,
Canadians for Palestine will organize a national die-in across
Canada. The national die-in will
take place simultaneously in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Doctors and healthcare workers from
across the country, adorned in white coats, scrubs, and
stethoscopes, will lie down as a symbolic physical representation
of Israel's targeted attacks on
healthcare workers, facilities, and patients in Gaza.
The healthcare crisis in Gaza
has reached catastrophic proportions, with no hospitals left
operational. Despite staunch international condemnation, Israeli
forces invaded and attacked Rafah, where over 1
million Palestinians are sheltering. Following the forced
closure of the Al-Najjar and Kuwaiti hospitals due to ongoing
hostilities, the World Health Organization reports the last
functioning hospital in Rafah ceased operations as of May 30. With little to no healthcare services
available, millions of innocent lives, including children, are at
grave risk. This is an egregious violation of human rights, and
Canadian healthcare workers are committed to advocating for justice
through peaceful protest.
Additionally, work conditions for healthcare workers in
Gaza have gone from bad to worse.
The World Health organization logged 935 Israeli attacks on
healthcare facilities in Gaza
since October 7th, 2023. Nearly
800 healthcare personnel have been attacked by Israel's ruthless, indiscriminate attacks
across the strip. Healthcare workers who are still standing are
left offering the most basic care, within destroyed infrastructure,
with little to no medical equipment, and under the constant threat
of attacks. Many workers have evacuated hospitals and clinics out
of fear, following raids on the Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Shifa
Hospital, where mass graves containing hundreds of bodies were
discovered, many of whom were healthcare workers. Dr. Rima
Sadiq, 29, who worked at the Kuwaiti Hospital until its
closure recounts, "The bombing is relentless. With every attack,
we receive at least 10 patients with varying degrees of injuries.
All require immediate treatment and follow-up, and the presence of
a nearby hospital is crucial in saving lives...The Israeli army
spares no one, including medical personnel. We are all at risk of
being targeted or arrested."
Healthcare workers across Canada refuse to be silent as Israel deliberately and repeatedly attacks
Gaza's healthcare personnel and
health infrastructure. We echo Dr. Hanbali's position when he says,
"The targeting of healthcare, especially the spectacle of its
destruction, is aimed to send a message that nowhere is safe, not
even healthcare, which is granted special protections under
international law."
As healthcare workers, we are uniting to demand an immediate,
unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as:
- An end to the deliberate targeting of healthcare workers,
patients and medical infrastructure,
- An end to the siege on Gaza
and the occupation of Palestine,
- Reopen all border crossings immediately, allowing for unimpeded
flow of life sustaining humanitarian aid and medical personnel in
and out of Gaza.
- The upholding of the rights of healthcare workers everywhere to
freely advocate for Palestinian health and human rights without
fear of censure.
WHERE: WHEN: Saturday,
June 22nd, 2024
Calgary
TIME:
2:00PM
MDT
LOCATION: STEPHEN AVE., B/W 2ST. SW & 3ST. SW
Montreal
TIME:
4:00PM EDT
LOCATION: McGill
Encampment (McGill University near
McLennan Library building)
CONTINGENCY LOCATION:
Downtown Montreal
Ottawa
TIME:
2:00PM EDT
LOCATION:
Parliament Hill
CONTINGENCY LOCATION: OttawaU
Encampment (University of Ottawa's
Tabaret Lawn)
Toronto
TIME:
2:00PM EDT
LOCATION: Nathan
Phillips Square
CONTINGENCY LOCATION: Queen's
Park
Vancouver
TIME:
2:00PM PDT
LOCATION:
Vancouver City Hall
ABOUT Canadians for
Palestine
Canadians For Palestine, is the largest grassroots Palestinian
advocacy organization based in Canada. It is dedicated to raising awareness
and promoting the rights of the besieged Palestinian peoples of
Gaza, and all occupied Palestinian
territories. The organization's mission is to educate, inform, and
mobilize individuals and communities to support the Palestinian
struggle for recognition and sovereignty. It includes over 5 vital
sectors including educational, legal, grassroots, media, political,
and research, and has attracted over 7000 professionals of all
backgrounds to advocate with it under a unified strategy for
Palestine Through peaceful advocacy, Canadians For Palestine aims
to amplify the voices of Palestinians by standing for justice,
equity, and human rights that transcend borders and are not limited
by nationality, religion, ethnicity, or bodies.
SOURCE Canadians for Palestine