'Israel' has detained 360 healthcare workers since October 2023
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Rights groups warn these actions violate international law and further cripple Gaza’s already-devastated health system.
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Palestinian medics inspect the damage of the Al-Najjar hospital that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan 19, 2025 (AP)
As part of its broader war on Palestinian healthcare, the Israeli occupation has detained more than 360 healthcare workers in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies. The detainees include doctors, nurses, paramedics, and hospital administrators. At least four have died in custody due to torture and medical neglect.
The center estimates that around 3,500 Palestinians from Gaza remain imprisoned, among them dozens of medical professionals whose absence has further crippled the already strained health system.
Among the detained are several well-known figures in Gaza’s medical community, like Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, Dr. Muhammad Obaid, head of reconstructive and orthopaedic surgery at Kamal Adwan Hospital, and Dr. Muhammad Zahir, a senior physician, also from Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Reports from rights groups highlight that detainees like Dr. Abu Safiya have been subjected to severe torture, with his health condition deteriorating significantly while under Israeli custody.
Raids on Gaza hospitals
Israeli forces have raided major hospitals across Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Al-Shifa, Indonesian, Al-Awda, and Nasser. These assaults often involved storming medical wards, arresting patients and staff, and, in some cases, forcing the evacuation of entire departments. Ambulance crews were also detained while attempting to transfer the wounded.
The raids left several hospitals non-operational, worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and depriving civilians of life-saving care.
The detention and killing of healthcare workers have devastated Gaza’s health sector. By late 2024, no fully functional hospitals remained in the Strip. According to the World Health Organization, more than 668 attacks on healthcare facilities had been recorded, killing nearly 900 people and wounding over 1,300.
Human rights groups describe this as a deliberate strategy to dismantle Gaza’s health system, a form of "healthocide" aimed at denying Palestinians access to medical care.
Deaths in Israeli custody
At least four Palestinian medical professionals have been killed in Israeli detentions. The most prominent example is Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopaedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, who was killed in April 2024 at Ofer prison. His body reportedly bore signs of violent abuse. The second is Dr. Iyad al-Rantisi, head of obstetrics at Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was killed in November 2023, in addition to Paramedic Hamdan Hassan Enaya, from Khan Younis, and Nurse Ziad Mohammed al-Dalu, from Al-Shifa Hospital. These deaths have fueled accusations of systematic torture, enforced disappearance, and medical neglect.
Violations of international law
Most detained medical workers are held under the so-called "Unlawful Combatants Law," which allows indefinite detention without charges. Human rights organizations have documented widespread abuse, including:
- Severe beatings, stress positions, and humiliation;
- Threats of sexual violence and reports of actual sexual abuse;
- Denial of food, water, and medical treatment;
- Psychological torture, including forced degrading acts.
International humanitarian law explicitly protects medical personnel, stipulating that they must be respected and not targeted. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have urged the International Criminal Court to investigate these detentions as potential war crimes.
