We, infectious disease physicians treating children and adults, feel a moral and professional obligation to voice a clear position in light of the harsh reality resulting from the continuation of the war. Our role is to dedicate our lives to treating people as human beings – "the sick person as a sick person, whether stranger or foreigner, whether lowly or honorable citizen" – and from this commitment, we cannot remain silent in the face of the continuation and expansion of the fighting.

The longest war in the history of the state, continuing without a visible end, exacts an enormous and unbearable price: it places the lives of the hostages in almost certain mortal danger and delays their return, causes immense suffering to their families, leads to the deaths and injuries of IDF soldiers, and widens the circles of bereavement, disability, and psychological trauma.

Beyond the border, the collapse of health, education, and livelihood infrastructure in the Gaza Strip has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. As a people that throughout history has experienced suffering and persecution, we know all too well how dangerous the dehumanization of an entire population is. We also hear daily reports of attacks on medical staff – a red line that must not be crossed, and we as caregivers strongly protest against it.

The health implications of the prolonged war have reached a critical point in recent months: widespread malnutrition, lack of access to basic medical services – especially for infants, children, and pregnant women – and reduced ability to provide emergency medical care. Additionally, the shortage of essential medical equipment worsens daily. At the same time, we are witnessing outbreaks of infectious diseases in the Strip due to deteriorating conditions. Diseases such as polio and cholera may return and spread. Viruses and bacteria recognize no borders and are not stopped at military checkpoints – and the risk of spread to Israel is real. The harm to the civilian population there could quickly become a health threat here.

Therefore, as physicians committed to human life and to the right to health and basic existence, we call on the Government of Israel and its leader: Stop the continuation of the fighting, release the hostages now before it is too late, and restore the sanctity of life – the lives of all human beings – to the center of decision-making.