Houman Hemmati

Support for Bombing Lebanon

Dr. Houman Hemmati, ophthalmologist and CEO of Vyluma, wrote online that a media event in Beirut should be hit with "a barrage of 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles".

Context

The massacre by Israel in Gaza since October 10, 2023 has been marked by severe violence and allegations of war crimes. The The UN Human Rights Council and UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories reported clear evidence that war crimes have been committed during this latest surge of violence, emphasizing the need to hold those who violated international law and targeted civilians accountable​.

As of November 24, 2023, Israeli forces had continuously engaged the Gaza Strip for 49 days, contributing to a mounting humanitarian crisis in the region​​. The death toll has been significant, with more than 15,000 Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Furthermore, 1.7 million civilians (80% of the population) have been internally displaced in Gaza as of November 23.

In contrast, the official death count in Israel stands at 1,200​​, where over a third killed were active military members, and many of the civilian casualties were reported as being a direct result of Israeli "scorched earth" tactics where helicopters fired hellfire missiles and machine gun rounds indiscriminately at people running in the fields, and tanks shelling civilian houses in the kibbutz.

Amnesty International conducted a detailed investigation into Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, focusing on incidents between October 7 and 12. The investigation revealed several alleged war crimes by the IDF, including:

1. Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilian Areas: The IDF carried out thousands of air bombardments in the Gaza Strip, amounting to the equivalent explosion power of 2 atomic bombs, leading to widespread destruction. Attacks were found to be indiscriminate, failing to distinguish between civilian and military objectives. For instance, on October 7, an IDF strike hit a three-story residential building in Gaza City’s al-Zeitoun neighborhood, killing 15 members of the al-Dos family, including seven children. The youngest victim was just 18 months old​​.

2. Strikes on Family Homes and Residential Buildings: On October 10, an air strike destroyed a family home in Gaza City’s al-Sahaba Street, killing 12 members of the Hijazi family and four of their neighbors. Three children were among those killed, with no evidence of military targets in the area at the time of the attack​​.

3. Failure to Take Precautions to Spare Civilians: The IDF did not provide effective prior warnings to Palestinian civilians in many cases. Sometimes, no warnings were given at all, or they were inadequate, affecting whole buildings or streets full of people. This failure to take feasible precautions to spare civilians is a breach of international humanitarian law​​​​.

4. Attack on a Refugee Camp and Public Market: An air strike on October 8 struck the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing members of the al-Naqla family, including children, and injuring many others​​. Additionally, on October 9, air strikes hit a market in Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 69 people​​.

5. Attacks on Hospitals and Medical Facilities: Israeli forces struck several healthcare facilities in Gaza. For example, the Indonesian Hospital was hit multiple times, killing civilians; the International Eye Hospital was completely destroyed; and the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital was forced to close following air raids. Additionally, well-marked ambulances were struck, resulting in casualties​​.

6. Devastation of Gaza's Healthcare System: As of November 10, two-thirds of primary healthcare facilities and half of all hospitals in Gaza were non-functional. At least 521 people, including 16 medical workers, have been killed in 137 attacks on healthcare in Gaza​​.

7. Claims of Hamas Using Hospitals Unsubstantiated: Israel claimed that Hamas fighters set up command centers beneath hospitals, but these claims have been contested and not corroborated by Human Rights Watch. The sweeping nature of Israel’s evacuation orders did not consider specific requirements for hospitals and patients, revealing their actual intent​​.

8. Blockade of Gaza Strip: The total blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip has been described as a war crime of collective punishment by Human Rights Watch​​.

Biographical Information

Dr. Hemmati is a fellowship trained cornea specialist and has co-founded and served as CMO of two venture-backed ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies.  Previously, Dr. Hemmati was Vice President of New Therapies at Capricor Therapeutics, where he led development of the company’s exosome platform for inflammatory diseases of the eye, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. He also served as Director, Clinical Development at Allergan, where he helped design and run early to late-stage clinical trials in the Ophthalmology Therapeutic Area.

Dr. Hemmati is a consultant to numerous ophthalmology biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for anterior and posterior segment diseases, including rare inherited retinal diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt Disease.

He is a board-certified, licensed ophthalmologist in active academic clinical practice in Los Angeles and continues to publish articles on clinical treatment guidelines and ophthalmic pharmaceutical pricing.  Dr. Hemmati holds a BS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. He received his MD from UCLA and PhD in Biology from Caltech University in the Medical Scientist Training Program.  He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Stanford Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a post-doctoral fellowship in Chemical Engineering with Dr. Robert Langer at MIT, and a clinical fellowship in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.