Doctors have criticised the Royal Children’s Hospital decision to abruptly cancel an expert panel on children and war, saying the hospital is silencing discussion of children’s suffering in Gaza.

The panel of five leading medical practitioners and refugee advocates – which included an Australian recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize – was scheduled to speak at one of the hospital’s regular grand round sessions on Wednesday, before RCH chief executive Dr Peter Steer suddenly cancelled the event late last week, citing staff safety.

Palestinian children haul jerry cans of water collected from a distribution point in Gaza City. Credit: AP

In an email to the panellists, Steer wrote: “This decision is not about the importance of the topic itself, but about the risk that the discussion could

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