Protesters at UNMH call for end of airstrikes, embargo in Gaza

Green scrubs worn by health care workers were conspicuous at a protest late Friday outside University of New Mexico Hospital calling for an end to airstrikes and a restoration of basic services in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “We want peace, not bombs,” at passing rush-hour traffic on Lomas NE, encouraging some drivers to honk and wave.

Some carried signs that said, “No more tax money for bombs” and “Money for healthcare, not for wars.”

No conflict or violence emerged during the protest.

“As a health care professional, it’s difficult to see thousands of people die needlessly,” said Dr. Nadia Marsh, a professor of internal medicine at the UNM School of Medicine. She joined about 100 people who participated in the demonstration. “People have a right to live and be free and have their homes.”

Marsh said she was horrified by images of the loss of life at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital, the site of a Tuesday night explosion that killed hundreds.

While Palestinian authorities blamed the strike on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said the strike originated inside Gaza, The Washington Post reported. U.S. officials have also said Israel was not responsible, citing intelligence, aerial imagery, and open-source material, the report said.

“I admire the physicians and health care providers who knew they were putting their lives at risk,” Marsh said. As a physician, “it’s something I can relate to deeply.”

Also attending the protest was Dr. Malik Alqawasmi, a resident physician at UNMH and a Palestinian-American, who said he was “heartbroken” by images emerging from Gaza.

“It’s hard to focus on work,” he said.

Alqawasmi said his grandfather immigrated to the United States following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when he and many Palestinians were displaced from their homes. The crisis in Gaza has reminded many Palestinians of that event, referred to as the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe” in Arabic, he said.

Alqawasmi said he believes that a two-state solution is possible and has faith that Palestinians eventually will have their own state.

“Israel has to give Palestinians a homeland,” he said. “It’s 100% feasible. It’s essential.”

Photos: UNMH personnel, community members call for an end to airstrikes, restoration of basic services in Gaza