Academic voices on the health and humanitarian crises in Gaza

Academic publications on human rights violations in Gaza surged after Israel’s large-scale destruction following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. We analysed the uncoordinated cooperative efforts documented in these works by reviewing publications addressing the health and humanitarian crises in Gaza between October 2023 and April 2024. We present a unified academic voice advocating for recognizing and restoring human rights for the people of Gaza. In the publications, we identified three key themes: ‘expression’, ‘emotionality’ and ‘expectations’.

Many academics openly express how they see Israel’s actions in Gaza. In line with the International Court of Justice and the UN Special Rapporteur, they believe Gaza is facing ‘apartheid’, ‘ethnic cleansing’, or ‘genocide’ by Israel. This understanding further takes an emotional toll on academics, as most of them feel it ‘painful’ to process information and write about hunger, death, destruction and isolation in Gaza. Academics express disappointment in Western political powers that enable Israel’s continuing human rights violations in Gaza. At the same time, they demand that political powers take immediate measures to ensure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and its rebuilding, as some view the UN as a ‘soft’ body as it is unable to enforce the ceasefire.