Some hospitals and health systems are being criticized for what they did — or didn't say — about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Boston Globe reported.
Physicians at Boston-based Tufts Medicine told the newspaper they were angered their employer didn't go far enough in condemning Hamas' murderous attacks in early October.
"We have great concern and compassion for our employees, colleagues, and all people who are directly and indirectly affected by the conflict in Israel and Gaza, and unequivocally condemn acts of terrorism, denounce violence, and mourn the senseless loss of innocent lives," Tufs said in a statement to the Globe.
Meanwhile, two physicians at Boston Children's Hospital said they were upset that Palestinians and the retaliations in Gaza weren't mentioned in a message from their health system, according to the Oct. 23 story. Boston Children's sent out a second email hours after its first that changed "our Jewish colleagues and friends" to "our Jewish and Palestinian" colleagues and friends. The health system didn't respond to requests for comment from the Globe.
Public relations experts told the newspaper the issue shows the delicate nature of how hospitals and health systems respond to tragic events, such as mass shootings or the murder of George Floyd.
"This is six-dimensional chess," Boston public relations consultant Andy Paven told the Globe. "I take it as a given that (these statements) are born of a genuine need to speak to something that shocks the conscience. But as soon as it's the Middle East, you're wading into thousands of years of conflict that no one is able to untangle."