Over 160 Gazan Medics Detained in ’Israeli’ Prisons Amid Reports of Torture
By Staff, The Guardian
At least 160 healthcare workers from Gaza, including more than 20 doctors, remain in "Israeli" detention facilities, with growing concerns over their safety and wellbeing, according to the World Health Organization [WHO]. Reports indicate that many detainees have been subjected to torture, mistreatment and inhumane conditions.
Healthcare Workers Watch [HWW], a Palestinian medical NGO, has confirmed that 162 medical personnel are still in "Israeli" custody, among them some of Gaza’s most senior physicians. An additional 24 medics remain missing after being forcibly taken from hospitals during the ongoing war. WHO has verified that 297 medical workers from Gaza have been detained since the war began, though updated figures on releases or continued detentions remain unavailable.
Muath Alser, director of HWW, condemned the mass detentions as illegal under international law, stating that they exacerbate civilian suffering by depriving them of essential medical care. “This targeting of Gaza’s healthcare workforce has had a catastrophic impact, leading to preventable deaths and the near-total collapse of some medical specialties,” Alser said.
Numerous doctors have described enduring brutal treatment in "Israeli" detention. Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, who was held for seven months without charge, detailed the conditions: “I was beaten with clubs and rifle butts, attacked by dogs, deprived of food and water, and left without access to hygiene facilities. I saw people dying in those cells.”
A lawyer representing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, also confirmed that his client had been tortured in "Israeli" custody, describing severe beatings and medical neglect. Reports indicate that two senior physicians, Dr. Iyad al-Rantisi and Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, died while in detention.
The WHO has expressed deep concern over the treatment of detained Palestinian medics and called for their immediate release. The UN Office for Human Rights [UNOCH] has also demanded that "Israel" halt all enforced disappearances, torture, and other inhumane treatment of detainees.
"Israeli" authorities have justified their actions by claiming that hospitals in Gaza were being used by Hamas as military command centers, but international legal experts argue that these claims have not been substantiated. Under the Geneva Conventions, healthcare workers are entitled to protection during armed conflict, and their detention or mistreatment constitutes a violation of international law.
Despite mounting evidence of systemic abuse, "Israeli" officials continue to deny wrongdoing. The "Israeli" Occupation Forces [IOF] stated that detainees receive proper care and that those found not to be involved in "terrorist activities" are released. However, testimonies from released medics and former Palestinian detainees paint a starkly different picture of systematic torture and mistreatment.
The international community has increasingly condemned "Israel’s" actions against Gaza’s medical sector, with calls for accountability and independent investigations into the treatment of detained healthcare workers. Meanwhile, as hospitals in Gaza struggle to function amid relentless attacks and the mass arrests of their staff, the region’s healthcare system continues to face collapse.
