The Israeli health system has a central role in the State of Israel’s response to the October 2023 attack by Hamas and the war that ensued. The Israeli health system has responded quite well to the initial shock in treating the injured from the field while maintaining routine care, to the extent possible. This was possible mainly due to the commitment and bravery of Israeli health professionals and the health system’s decades-long investment in emergency preparedness. (One key element was the existence of highly effective systems of communication and coordination between the health system and the IDF.) At the same time, there have also been areas in which performance could have been better, and many challenges lay ahead.
In this project, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute is helping the Israeli health system (and particularly the Ministry of Health) tell this story in English and in real time. This will help non-Hebrew-speaking audiences follow the challenges and responses of the health system as they develop and consider whether they can a) assist in the efforts of the Israeli health system and b) learn from those efforts.
The project builds upon a long tradition and experience of MJB disseminating information for policymakers inside and outside Israel. MJB’s work has helped decision makers and interested parts in the Israeli healthcare learn from other countries and helped healthcare systems in other countries learn from Israel. This effort has been important for Israeli health care both in routine times and during emergencies (particularly the recent COVID-19 pandemic).
The project is being led by Dr. Ruth Waitzberg, an MJB research scholar who is based in Berlin and who is our representative to the European Observatory of Health Care Systems and Policies.
For MJB’s publications on Israel-Hamas War in English, press here.
For MJB’s publications on Israel-Hamas War in Hebrew, press here.