Early Online

Safeguarding healthcare in conflict: SAMA’s suspension of relations with the Israeli Medical Association

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2025.v115i10.4313

Keywords:

medical ethics, health care, humanitarian access, armed conflict

Abstract

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Author Biography

  • S Soni, School of Law, College of Law and Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Dr Sheetal Soni is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her research expertise includes Health Law, International Law and Reproductive Rights. 

References

1. South African Medical Association. Statement: SAMA suspends relations with the Israeli Medical Association. Pretoria: SAMA, 3 October 2025.

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3. Sidhwa F, Fraiha YA, Leibowitz A, Kaminski N. Standing by our colleagues in Gaza – A plea to the US medical community. N Engl J Med 3 October 2025. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2511588

4. Vitale A, Hilalb MA, Gumbs AA, Szoldf A, Cilloa U, Frigerio I. Gaza’s healthocide: Medical societies must not stay silent. Lancet 2025;406(10511):1467-1468. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140- 6736(25)01735-0

5. World Medical Association. Declaration of Geneva: The physician’s pledge. Geneva: WMA, adopted 1948. https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-geneva/ (accessed 7 October 2025).

6. World Medical Association. International code of medical ethics. Berlin: 73rd WMA General

Assembly, 2022. https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-international-code-of-medical-ethics/

(accessed 7 October 2025).

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violence. Adopted 1956. Ferney-Voltaire: WMA, 2012. https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-

regulations-in-times-of-armed-conflict-and-other-situations-of-violence/ (accessed 7 October 2025). 8. Khatib R, McKee M, Yusuf S. Counting the dead in Gaza: Difficult but essential. Lancet

2024;404(10449):237-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01169-3

9. Médecins Sans Frontières. MSF forced to suspend Gaza City activities amid intensified Israeli offensive.

Geneva: MSF, 26 September 2025.

10. International Committee of the Red Cross. The Geneva Conventions of 1949. Geneva: ICRC, 1949. 11. Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of

Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977.

12. Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of

Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), 8 June 1977.

13. Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Art 8(2)(b)(ix). 17 July 1998.

14. United Nations Security Council. Resolution 2286 (2016) on the protection of healthcare in armed

conflict. S/RES/2286 (2016). New York: UN, 3 May 2016.

15. British Medical Association. Health, medicine and the conflict in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

London: BMA, 22 September 2025.

16. British Medical Association. BMA urges global co-operation and action against attacks on healthcare

in conflict zones. London: BMA, 22 July 2025.

17. Prost A, Burgess RA, Tariq S. Gaza and the collapse of public health: A call for action. Lancet

2025;406(10509):1215-1216. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01690-3

18. Pagadala MS, Nichols N. Responses to the Gaza-Israel conflict by specialty medical societies. JAMA

Network Open 2025;8(4):e254662. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4662

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Published

2025-10-10

Issue

Section

Editorials

How to Cite

1.
Soni S. Early Online: Safeguarding healthcare in conflict: SAMA’s suspension of relations with the Israeli Medical Association. S Afr Med J [Internet]. 2025 Oct. 10 [cited 2025 Oct. 12];115(9):e4313. Available from: https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/4313