The Israeli Medical Association (IMA) has described the exodus of 1,369 physicians from the occupied territories between 2023 and 2025 as a “strategic threat,” warning that the growing outflow, amid Israel’s war on Gaza, security concerns and professional burnout, could deepen healthcare shortages and undermine the public health system.
The trend has accelerated since the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the IMA, at least 50 physicians left during the first 15 months after the operation, while another 53 doctors who travelled abroad for specialist training failed to return within the agreed timeframe.
The figures were discussed at an emergency meeting on physician emigration, where a survey covering 32 hospitals and medical centers was presented.
The meeting followed a Tel Aviv University report documenting the departure of 1,369 physicians from the occupied territories for more than a year between 2023 and 2025.
Israeli media reported that gastroenterology, oncology, internal medicine and psychiatry were among the specialties particularly affected.
Doctors cited security concerns, family circumstances, professional advancement and better career opportunities abroad among the reasons for leaving.
However, a psychiatrist speaking at the emergency meeting said higher salaries were not the main motivation for many departing physicians. Concerns about personal safety, their children’s futures and professional exhaustion were also driving doctors away.
“Since 7 October, we’ve been dealing with a simply unbelievable number of people seeking mental health help, and that includes doctors as well,” the psychiatrist said, describing the psychological strain on medical professionals.
Israeli mental health organization ERAN has reported that approximately one-quarter of Israelis showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over the past three years, amid growing demand for psychological support.
IMA chairman Zion Hagay identified the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Germany as major destinations for departing physicians.
The loss of medical professionals comes amid a broader wave of emigration from the occupied territories.
A Tel Aviv University report estimated that nearly 270,000 people had left since 2023, with highly educated people disproportionately represented.
Among physicians who emigrated between 2023 and 2025, around 20 per cent were over 45, including approximately 270 experienced doctors. The overall number of departing physicians rose by 94 per cent compared with 2013–2015, when 705 doctors left.
The exodus threatens to compound existing staffing pressures. Israeli media have reported that 24 per cent of specialists in public hospitals are approaching retirement age, while the ministry of health has projected that the occupied entity will need approximately 32,000 specialists by 2035, compared with around 20,000 currently working there.
The departure of young doctors threatens to weaken hospital staffing, while the loss of experienced specialists risks disrupting medical training and continuity of care.
The healthcare system in the occupied territories also faces concerns over racist attacks and discrimination against Palestinian medical professionals. Some Israeli politicians and commentators have called for reducing Palestinian representation in hospitals despite existing workforce shortages. Last month, an extremist Israeli commentator reportedly accused Palestinian medical personnel of “poisoning Jews.”
The physician exodus, compounded by regional instability and the consequences of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, raises further concerns about the system’s ability to sustain essential services and meet future healthcare needs.
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