LONDON: The Guardian has released a new documentary exploring the complex reality faced by Palestinian doctors working in Israel, as they navigate systemic discrimination, deepening identity struggles, and mounting hostility amid the ongoing Gaza war.
Titled “The Oath: To Be a Palestinian Doctor in Israel’s Healthcare System,” the 22-minute documentary follows Dr. Lina Qasem-Hassan, a Palestinian doctor living and working in Israel, as she upholds her medical oath to treat both Israelis and Palestinians amid the Gaza war.
She highlighted that while Arab citizens comprise nearly a quarter of Israeli doctors, many face unequal treatment in access and opportunity. The physician said she is determined to use her oath to fight injustice.
“Since 7 October, Palestinian staff in the Israeli healthcare system have faced persecution, slander and paralysis. Anti-Palestinian sentiment is surging, even among patients and colleagues,” Qasem-Hassan wrote in her op-ed in The Guardian.
She noted that Israeli policies in the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, forced displacement, and restriction of movement systematically restrict access to care, undermining the right to health for Palestinians both in Israel and the occupied territories.
This impact has been further exacerbated by the war on Gaza, where at least 1,581 health workers have been killed since Oct. 7. Only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional amid the widespread destruction of the healthcare system, according to UN figures, leaving patients without access to treatment amid severe shortages of medical supplies and staff.
The documentary recounts the death of Qasem-Hassan’s relative Marwan, a paramedic who was killed in an airstrike while transporting the wounded to hospital just hours after the war began. Weeks later, another strike on a refugee camp claimed the lives of 10 more members of her family.
“All this takes place under deafening silence from the Israeli healthcare establishment and many of my fellow physicians, who too often choose silence over basic ethics and morality,” said Qasem-Hassan.
As the chairwoman of Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, Qasem-Hassan detailed how her advocacy puts her at risk of suspension or persecution.
Earlier this year, patients submitted complaints against her for alleged pro‑Palestinian views. Yet, she refused to stay silent.
“Any expression of sympathy for victims — women, children, innocent civilians — is seen as support for terror,” she wrote.
“And still, I continue to fight. Because as long as we remain silent, our oath is hollowed out, and the right to health becomes a fantasy too far to reach.”
Torn between the decision to stay or leave Israel, Qasem-Hassan reflected: “But I go back to the question: if I leave, who will stay behind?”
For now, she remains committed to providing essential medical care to Palestinians and detainees in the West Bank and Gaza through Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, while also speaking out against the Gaza war both within Israel and on international platforms, as documented in the film.
