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It is with deep despair and outrage that we announced yesterday the killing of Dr Thabat Salim. Dr Salim was a 30 year old woman who had only recently begun her career with the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), a Member Association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), but who had become a much loved and respected member of our team. Her death is more than a tragedy; it is a devastating indictment of the conditions under which women health care providers live and work. She was Palestinian. She was living in Gaza. She was a woman of reproductive age. She was a doctor. She worked in a hospital. She cared for Palestine’s next generation; newborn babies. These factors should have made her a symbol of hope and healing. Instead, they culminated in her murder. No woman should be afraid to go to work. Yet, this is the daily reality for many of our healthcare workers — most of them women — in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and beyond. Since October 8, 2023, when our health site in Gaza was destroyed, and our staff forced to flee, we have spoken out. We have joined others in echoing #HealthcareWorkersAreNotATarget. But we must also confront a truth that is far more uncomfortable for me to say, and you to read: The Israeli Government is not acting alone in its targeting and killing of women and healthcare workers. The US government - of which we are a recipient of their aid - supplied more than $18 billion in military aid last year. Under the current Administration, they pledged $8 billion more. These funds, meant for military support, translate into more murdered doctors, and many more murdered women and children. They translate to more men killed, injured or incarcerated, and more families shattered. I can of course speak to other Western powers, but as I write this, the U.S. remains one of the biggest suppliers of weapons used in this genocide. Perversely, they are also the biggest funder of global health, including reproductive health programs - programs that will increasingly be designed to “mop up” what remains of our colleagues, patients, clinics and communities.  Civilians – and particularly health workers – are being denied their rightful legal protections. For reasons too improbable to untangle here, the United States, and others continuing to supply weapons to the Israeli army, are colluding in the massacre of civilians, colluding in the massacre of Palestinian women of reproductive age, colluding in the massacre of health workers. And in this last act of violence, destroying our humanity.   We are urging an end to this violence. An end to the supply of weapons that kill our colleagues and patients. An end to impunity on sexual violence. An end to this genocide. If you stand for women. For peace. For the right to sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, then stand with us. Stand for Dr Thabat Salim. Stand for the 17 year old who was killed in our Sudanese Family Planning Association clinic in Darfur last week because he dared buy condoms. Stand for our colleagues in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Syria, Sudan and Yemen who have been killed and injured in this last year. Stand for our surviving colleagues on the frontlines of sexual and reproductive healthcare who no longer have a place to go to work, or a place to call home, because in this era of an undeclared war on women’s bodies, on young people’s bodies, a few powerful men felt emboldened enough to consider them collateral damage.   It is time to come together, to stand for sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice for ALL. You can stand for IPPF by donating here. All donations will go to where our healthcare workers are providing front line services under conflict.

El Fasher, Sudan: The Abu Shouk Centre, affiliated with the North Darfur State Branch of the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was directly targeted by the Rapid Support Forces militia on the morning of 28 December 2024. The centre was providing humanitarian services at the time of the attack. This tragic incident resulted in the death of a 17-year-old client and injuries to three others, with varying degrees of severity. The centre’s buildings sustained partial destruction, significantly reducing its ability to deliver essential healthcare and humanitarian services to the local community. This latest attack adds to a series of devastating assaults on our clinics in Sudan. In September 2023, facilities in Khartoum and El Fasher, along with several health centres run by SFPA, were destroyed. On 2 July 2024, another horrendous attack targeted one of our healthcare clinics in Khartoum, further compromising our ability to deliver life-saving services to those in need. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached catastrophic level and is now the world’s largest humanitarian emergency. After nearly 20 months of war, over 12 million people have been displaced from their homes. The country’s healthcare system has collapsed, with an estimated 70–80% of hospitals in conflict-affected areas no longer functioning. Women and girls are experiencing a sharp increase in sexual and conflict-related violence and our staff have witnessed the devastating impact of these crimes on women, girls, and other marginalised groups. SFPA is actively supporting its North Darfur State branch in responding to this urgent situation. We remain committed to the safety and security of our staff and beneficiaries and to continuing the provision of vital family planning and healthcare services to communities in this critically insecure region. Fadoua Bakhadda, Arab World Regional Director for IPPF said, "IPPF AWRO condemns the attack on the Abu Shouk Centre as a heartbreaking reminder of the escalating violence against healthcare providers in Sudan. This assault targets the basic rights of women, girls, and communities relying on life-saving services. We stand in solidarity with SFPA and call on all parties to respect the neutrality of healthcare facilities and prioritize civilian safety and dignity."   About the Sudan Family Planning Association The Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was established in 1965 by pioneers in obstetrics and gynaecology in response to increases in maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. As the statistics show, Sudan is a country in great need of frontline sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Advocacy, and undertaking information, education and communication (IEC) programs are critical. In 2023, SFPA provided 38 million services through 25 clinics, 272 associated clinics, 39 mobile clinics, 1494 CBD/CBS, and digital/Virtual channels. Since the start of the crisis on 15 April 2023, the association teams were successful in providing 8 million services through 25 SDPs and 10 million services through non damaged associated and mobile clinics. SFPA was able to assist 1,183 deliveries under bombardment and provided 170 943 treatments of HIV in its static clinics.   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. We are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Building on a proud history of 70 years of achievement, we commit to lead a locally owned, globally connected civil society movement that provides and enables services and champions sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, especially the under-served. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights, and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.