Medical association warns doctor departures pose a strategic threat

The Israeli Medical Association (IMA) described the departure of 1,369 physicians from the occupied territories between 2023 and 2025 as a “strategic threat,” according to en.abna24.com. The association warned that the outflow could deepen healthcare shortages and undermine the public health system.

The number of doctors leaving was 94 per cent higher than in the comparison period of 2013–2015, when 705 physicians departed, the outlet reported. These figures cover two three-year periods; the account identifies the more recent outflow as a growing concern for the association.

The report connects the departures with Israel’s war on Gaza, security concerns and professional burnout. It also says the trend accelerated after the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza. Those points are the outlet’s account of the circumstances associated with the physician departures.

A psychiatrist quoted in the report described an increase in demand for mental-health support since 7 October, saying that doctors were among those seeking help. The remark adds a specific account of strain among medical professionals to the broader concerns about departures raised by the IMA.

The association’s warning focuses on two potential effects: more difficulty addressing healthcare shortages and harm to the public health system. The report does not provide a separate estimate of how many physicians remain, identify the destinations of those who left, or quantify any resulting shortage.

The Middle East Eye headline also reports the figure of 1,369 doctors leaving in three years and describes the issue as a healthcare brain drain. The available headline does not provide further details. The cited account gives no specific policy measure or decision by the IMA or another body to address the departures.