The Limits and Responsibilities of Global Health & Humanitarianism: What the Genocide in Gaza Reveals – Part II

Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has created a profound humanitarian and public health catastrophe. Sustained airstrikes on a densely populated and displaced civilian population, combined with severe restrictions on food, water, medical care, and shelter, are devastating the basic conditions necessary for human survival. At the same time, violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by the Israeli military and settlers has reached unprecedented levels.

A central feature of this panel will be testimonies from Palestinians in Gaza, whose lived experiences will ground the discussion. Panelists will examine the immediate and intergenerational health consequences of the crisis, reflect on Palestinian resilience and humanity amid genocide, and interrogate how—and why—the international community has allowed these conditions to persist.

The seminar aims not only to inform, but to compel reflection and action, asking what researchers, health professionals, and concerned citizens can and must do within the York community and across the Canadian context.

Speaker Profiles

• Dr. Ahmmed Al-Farra is a senior paediatrician in Gaza and head of pediatrics and maternity in Gaza's Nasser Medical Complex. He has been reporting to the world across multiple media platforms and news stations about the catastrophic conditions in Gaza, and particularly the starvation and violence that Israel is inflicting on Gaza’s children.
• Dr. Ola Ziara is a paediatrician and child health and nutrition expert from Gaza, who now lives in Toronto. Her recent study with Dr. Rachel Coghlan called, "Palestinians in Gaza: Exemplars of Ethical and Local Humanitarianism” captures the voices and experiences of Palestinians in Gaza reflecting on the meaning of humanity amidst genocide.
• Dr. Michael Lynk is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Western University, in London, Ontario. He served as the 7th UN-appointed Special Rapporteur for the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories from 2016-2023 in addition to decades of work, research, and teaching on labour, human rights, disability, constitutional and administrative law.
• A recorded presentation of Dr. Rachel Coghlan will be shared. She is a researcher at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne; she is also a practicing physiotherapist, specialising in post-acute care, aged care, rehabilitation and palliative care for people with disability, cancer and progressive neurological conditions. With 25 years of professional experience in public health, development and humanitarian response, and allied health practice, she brings expertise in palliative and end-of-life care, ageing and frailty, disability and rehabilitation, non-communicable diseases, equitable and inclusive health systems, and multidisciplinary supportive care.

Register below and join us on February 25 at 1 p.m.!

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Recap: Part I – The Limits and Responsibilities of Global Health & Humanitarianism: What the Genocide in Gaza Reveals