Viva Salud > Care and resistance in Gaza – campaign

Care and resistance in Gaza: the lives of Palestinian carers

The current ceasefire in Gaza represents a crucial first step towards justice. However, there is still a long way to go. That is why we are continuing our commitment through the ‘Care and Resist in Gaza’ campaign for the coming year, a struggle that has been ongoing since 7 October 2023 by the health workers and all the staff of the Al-Awda structures (Viva Salud’s partners in Gaza).

The destruction of the health system in Gaza: a genocidal strategy

Since the genocide began in Gaza, the Israeli army has repeatedly demonstrated its determination to destroy the health system. The attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical staff are not ‘accidents’, but a well-orchestrated strategy. By dismantling the medical infrastructure, Israel is condemning more Palestinians to death: the wounded and sick no longer have access to care and residents are forced to flee to find functioning medical facilities. In addition, the social tissue is being seriously damaged, with repercussions that will be felt for generations to come.

Resistance to injustice

But where there is injustice, there is also resistance. For 15 months prior to the ceasefire, the medical staff of our partner AWDA in Gaza remained on site, providing care to the sick and injured at all costs. Many of them had not seen their families for over a year. Their presence, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, was essential in maintaining the resistance against the Israeli occupation. If the hospitals in the north had closed, the Palestinians would have had to leave, allowing Israel to reinforce its occupation of the region.

Greater protection for Palestinian healthcare workers

Through the ‘Care and Resist in Gaza’ campaign, we don’t just want to pay tribute to the extraordinary resilience of Palestinian healthcare workers. We are calling on political leaders to take concrete action, in accordance with international law, and to contribute to justice for healthcare workers and the Palestinian people as a whole.

Our demands to the Belgian government and the European Union:

Support the campaign

1. Buy the book ‘Care and Resist in gaza‘

The photo book ‘Care and Resist’ is the result of a direct collaboration with the AWDA organisation, whose photos and testimonies we have been collecting since 7 October 2023. Comprising around fifty photographs, the book plunges readers into the daily lives of their teams who, from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip, tirelessly continued to care for and resist during the genocide.

Having witnessed their courage and actions in the face of chaos since 7 October 2023, we felt it was crucial to pay tribute to these everyday heroes. The photo book reflects their exceptional resilience and humanity, as well as the unfailing commitment of a medical organisation ready to do anything to support its people.

The book is available to order for €30.
All profits will be given to the work of Viva Salud and our partners.
2024 -, 48p. 28×21 cm, published by EPO

(Unfortunately, the book remains only available in french and dutch)

Order the book

2. Organize an exhibition on care and resistance in Gaza

The end of 2024 was marked by the successful opening of our exhibition ‘Care and resistance in Gaza’. It was an event we’re very proud of, and one that attracted a great deal of interest!

With 48 photo and text boards, the exhibition follows on from the book ‘Care and Resistance’, and is similar in content.

We are making the exhibition available to organisations, faculties and anyone wishing to support and raise awareness of access to healthcare in Gaza:

  • The exhibition is free to hire, but we encourage everyone to make a voluntary contribution and/or to link the exhibition to a fundraising initiative for our partners in Palestine. We would be delighted to help and support you in this endeavour.

  • You can also ask our policy and campaign officers to accompany the exhibition for a talk or a short training session on our partner AWDA and the right to health in Palestine.
  • If you would like more information and/or to hire the exhibition, please contact us at the following address: marilyse@vivasalud.be

  • (Unfortunately, the exhibition remains only available in french and dutch)

3. Take part in mobilisations and our actions

Indignation and collective commitment are powerful ways of responding to violations of conventions, political inaction, injustice and impunity.

In 2024, we focused our energy on pressuring our former foreign minister Hadja Lahbib to take responsibility for Israel’s war crimes.

We made ourselves visible and audible: visits to her office, distribution of posters and collection of 75,000 signatures for the release of health workers illegally detained in Gaza, symbolic actions, national demonstrations in Brussels and weekly appeals on social networks. These actions have not only strengthened our message, but also generated growing solidarity.

This solidarity has fuelled our determination. With the arrival of the new government, we will continue, together with civil society organisations and health workers, to ensure that our demands – based on international law – are heard and implemented.

The movement is growing and, in 2025, we will continue to fight for change and respect for human rights. Keep up to date:

4. Make a monthly donation

Monthly donations are an important way of ensuring that we can continue to provide practical support to our partners and pursue our political campaigns:

  1. A lasting impact on local communities: By making a monthly contribution, you will be helping us to provide ongoing support for healthcare access projects in the Philippines, DR Congo and Palestine, where the needs are immense. Your donations will fund medical care, training for local staff and communities, and health infrastructure that will have a lasting impact on thousands of lives.
  2. Targeted and tailored aid: Through partnerships with local organisations, Viva Salud ensures that support is specifically tailored to the cultural and social realities of local communities. Your monthly donation enables us to respond precisely to health needs, relying on local players who understand the challenges and priorities of each community.
  3. Transparency and measurable results: With a monthly donation, you will receive quarterly magazines detailing the progress of our projects. In this way, you can see the real impact of your support, in complete transparency, and see the actions and progress made by our partners to promote the right to health.
Make a monthly donation