Around eight years ago, in 2018, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched the “Hope” campaign to raise awareness about attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in armed conflicts, ending with the powerful message that in Palestine, even hope is struggling to survive.
Although it was released years ago, the campaign has recently resurfaced and gone viral online amid renewed violence against Palestinians in Gaza.
At the heart of the campaign is a short film produced by Spanish agency Sra. Rushmore and Blur Films Madrid. In the nearly two-minute film, a father races through a war-torn area with his young daughter, Raya, who is badly injured and bleeding from her abdomen. He tries to calm her and urges her to stay awake until they reach the hospital.
When they arrive, the hospital has been bombed. The film ends with the stark message: “No hospitals. No hope.” It carries the plea: Healthcare is #NotATarget.
The film, which won the Grand Prix in the Film Craft Lions at Cannes Lions in 2018, highlights a daily reality in many conflict zones. Attacks on healthcare workers and facilities are common, leaving civilians without doctors, medicine, or emergency care. As a result, people die, suffer lifelong injuries, or fall seriously ill from preventable conditions.
When hospitals and health workers are targeted, entire communities lose their lifeline.
The campaign’s message feels especially urgent in places like Gaza. According to Gaza health authorities and multiple reports, Israeli forces have killed at least 1,722 healthcare workers in Gaza since October 2023, an average of around two per day.
Since October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented over 720 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, with at least 1,580 health workers killed.
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