National Nurses United (NNU), the country’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, condemned Israel for its ongoing starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza and its latest bombings of Nasser Hospital, strikes that have killed scores of medical and rescue workers, patients, and journalists. Nurses call these actions by Israel tantamount to war crimes and a genocide against Palestinians, and demand an immediate ceasefire as well as a stop to all U.S. funding of Israel’s military.

“As nurses, it breaks our hearts to see direct attacks on hospitals, which are supposed to be, under international law, places of refuge for civilians and totally off limits to military strikes,” said Mary Turner, RN and president of NNU. “There is no excuse for attacks on health care facilities and health care workers. We and nurses around the world stand in solidarity with Gazan hospital workers.”

With so much of Gaza flattened and infrastructure decimated, the few hospitals that remain are the only sources of help Palestinians can turn to, especially as famine has been officially declared in parts of Gaza. News reports say tens of thousands of children and babies are starving to death, and parents are desperately seeking medical help at hospitals for their malnutrition.

“We denounce Israel’s cruelty toward the Palestinian people, toward little children, infants, and their parents,” said Turner.

“This must stop now. Israel should not think it will get away with these crimes against humanity. We encourage people who support the human rights of all people to protest, get involved, and contact their elected representatives to demand an end to U.S. funding of the Israeli military. Let’s keep Gaza in the news headlines and top of mind for all around the world.” 

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.