July 7, 2025
To:
Minister of Health – MK Uriel Buso
Director General of the Ministry of Health – Mr. Moshe Bar Siman Tov
Chief Medical Officer – Brigadier General Dr. Zivon Aviad-Bar
Subject: Participation of Physicians in Determining the Identity of Hostages to Be Released in the Upcoming Phase
Dear Sirs,
We have received reports indicating the possible establishment of a committee responsible for determining the identity of hostages to be released in the upcoming phase. According to these reports, the committee is expected to include physicians who would provide their opinions regarding the medical condition of the hostages and its impact on the selection process.
We hope these rumors are not true.
From an ethical and moral standpoint, it is not the role of a physician to take part in such political or security-related decisions, and certainly not to determine the fate of one human life over another.
At most, physicians may provide decision-makers with a general medical assessment — physical or mental — based on the available information. However, under no circumstances should they be included in the committee itself or regarded as participants in the decision-making process, nor should they be seen as expressing a position regarding the identity of the candidates for release.
Furthermore, from a professional perspective, physicians do not possess the tools or sufficient reliable information to accurately assess the medical condition of the hostages. At best, this would amount to partial evaluations based on partial, not updated data.
Therefore, we demand clarification and explicit confirmation that physicians will not take part in the committee, if it is established, or in decisions regarding the release of hostages, and that they will not be required to express an opinion on who should be released. If such clarification is not received, we will be forced to instruct our physicians to refrain from any involvement in the matter.
With best regards and in the hope for the swift, safe, and peaceful return of all the hostages,
Prof. Zion Hagay, President, IMA
Dr. Yossi Walfish, Chairman of the Ethics Bureau, IMA