While formal registrations numbered 10,000, organizers report that between 30,000 and 40,000 Italian healthcare workers—including doctors and medical staff—participated in a one-day fast to demand an end to the violence in Gaza. The protest, organized by the #digiunogaza network, ‘Sanitari per Gaza’, and the BDS campaign ‘Teva? No grazie’, saw participation from hospital and family doctors, as well as other medical professionals from across Italy. The initiative also garnered support from professional orders, universities, and trade unions.
“We can say it went extremely well,” the organizers stated, vowing to continue their campaign. A central demand is for local health authorities to adopt a specific resolution. This resolution calls on institutions and health management to formally commit to “countering all manifestations of genocide with actions within their competence.”
The proposed resolution references the ‘Stop the Silence’ petition, launched on July 15, 2025, and signed by over 4,600 healthcare workers and academics, alongside approximately 8,000 citizens, as of August 26. It urges health authorities to implement ethical criteria for scientific and commercial agreements to avoid partnerships with entities linked to states accused of genocide, adopt procurement rules excluding suppliers connected to such states, and prioritize international cooperation and humanitarian aid for populations victimized by genocide.
“We ask health authorities to take a clear stance by adopting this resolution and becoming active players in protecting the health and dignity of populations victimized by genocide,” the appeal reads.
Filippo Anelli, President of the National Federation of Medical Orders (FNOMCeO), expressed strong support for the solidarity actions: “All manifestations of solidarity and fasts are welcome, so that our Italian and European governments, pushed by the popular will, take strong initiatives to try to stop this violence. We cannot remain helpless in the face of so much violence.” Simultaneously, Anelli distanced the federation from “any boycott initiative aimed at harming the people of Israel, who are victims and not responsible for this unjust war.”
Protests were held outside hospitals, including one at Turin’s Molinette hospital. “We have been here since mid-July,” explained Dr. Ernesta Audisio, one of the fasting doctors. “We started a relay with all healthcare workers from Piedmont and Aosta Valley to fast against the genocide happening in Gaza. We stand in solidarity with our Gazan colleagues who are working under extreme difficulty. We are against indiscriminate bombs, against famine, and against the deliberate malnutrition of the population.”
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