Opinion: Why is the New England Journal of Medicine promoting 'health bridges' while Gaza's hospitals burn?

On 27 March 2025, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) - one of the world's most influential medical journals - published an article headlined "Health Care Bridges - Pathways toward Trust in Gaza and Beyond".

It was only the second article in the journal to mention Gaza since Israel escalated its genocide against the Palestinian people in October 2023.

That this is NEJM's leading contribution on Palestine is telling. 

There has been no report on the systematic targeting of the Palestinian healthcare system, no call for accountability or justice for the more than 1,200 medical workers killed, and no condemnation of the incarceration and torture of hundreds more. Instead, the journal offers a narrow appeal to build trust through joint health programmes.

This editorial decision is deeply political. It promotes a depoliticised narrative of health as a "bridge to peace" at the expense of an ethical commitment to confront the ongoing destruction of the Palestinian healthcare system, Israel's culpability for these crimes, and the structures of power that enable and sustain such violence.

Read more: Why is the New England Journal of Medicine promoting 'health bridges' while Gaza's hospitals burn? Opinion by Ghada Majadli, Dr James Smith, Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Dr Rasha Khoury