By Lana Birdwell, a Research Intern.
On International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, urgent action is needed for healthcare workers in Gaza. Healthcare workers are among the most vulnerable required staff in Gaza today. Since October 7th, at least 1,000 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed,[1] and 339 have been detained by the Israeli occupation forces according to Healthcare Workers Watch.[2] Currently, 160 healthcare workers are detained and 24 are missing. [3]
Healthcare workers are an essential pillar to sustain life in Gaza and are protected under international law, but have been systematically targeted by Israeli forces as part of Israel's broader genocidal campaign. Gaza’s population was already in critical need of advanced healthcare before October 7. Still, since then, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, an additional 48,577 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, and an estimated 112,041 are wounded and in need of medical care. The murders, detainment, and torture of healthcare workers by the Israeli occupation forces produce a compounding effect on the injured population and result in preventable deaths. These healthcare workers are also responsible for training the next generation of physicians. Without them, the future generation faces new challenges in salvaging the structure of the few remaining hospitals and rebuilding them in the future.
The descriptions of torture inflicted by Israeli forces against detainees indicate they deliberately prevent healthcare workers from treating patients in the future. One account from a medic, Dr. KJ, says that they told him they would cut off his fingers because he is a dentist. [4] Dr. Issam Abu Ajwa, a senior consultant surgeon, also reported that prison guards were ordered to damage his hands: “They said they wanted to make sure I could never return to work”. [5]
Among the detained is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who is the head of Kamal Adwan Hospital. He has been in an Israeli prison since his arrest at the hospital in December 2024. Like many others, he has endured horrific torture and has not been informed of his charges or allowed to challenge them. However, his arrest appears to be retaliation for continuing to treat patients at the hospital despite pressure from the Israeli forces to evacuate. [6] In addition to those detained or killed by the Israeli forces, many staff members are missing after they fled their hospitals to unknown locations because of increasing violence.[7]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained medical workers, denouncing their treatment as “enforced disappearances, torture, and other ill-treatment.”[8] It is also necessary to prosecute soldiers for human rights abuses. Despite the easily accessible documentation of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces, only one soldier has been jailed for abuse against Palestinians since October 7th.
The systematic targeting, detention, and killing of healthcare workers in Gaza represents a grave violation of international law and a direct attack on the very foundation of humanitarian protection. These actions not only deprive the wounded of critical medical care but also dismantle the infrastructure necessary for future healthcare in the region. On International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, it is imperative to amplify calls for justice, demand accountability from the Israeli occupation forces, and apply pressure on Israel to release all detained medical professionals. The international community must take urgent and concrete action to ensure the protection of healthcare workers and uphold the principles of international law.
[1] “Strikes, raids and incursions: Over a year of relentless attacks on healthcare in Palestine,” Medecins Sans Frontieres, Jan 7, 2025 https://www.msf.org/strikes-raids-and-incursions-year-relentless-attacks-healthcare-palestine
[2] “Health-care workers should not be a target. In Gaza, their detention and death affect the entire population,” Tania King, Fiona Stanley, Guy Gillor, Rob Moodie Tilman Ruff, The Conversation, March 11, 2025 https://theconversation.com/health-care-workers-should-not-be-a-target-in-gaza-their-detention-and-death-affect-the-entire-population-251146
[3] “WHO Calls for Release of over 160 Gaza Medical Workers Held by Israel,” The Palestine Chronicle, February 25, 2025 https://www.palestinechronicle.com/who-calls-for-release-of-over-160-gaza-medical-workers-held-by-israel/
[4] ‘Designed to humiliate’: Israel’s torture of Gaza’s healthcare workers, Simon Speakman Cordall
Al Jazeera Feb 26, 2025
[5] “‘No rules’: Gaza’s doctors say they were tortured, beaten and humiliated in Israeli detention,” The Gaurdian, Annie Kelly, Hoda Osman and Farah Jallad, Feb 25, 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/25/israel-gaza-doctors-surgeons-healthcare-detention-international-law
[6] “Israel arrests Gaza doctor Abu Safiya under 'unlawful combatant' law: Rights group,” Mohammad Majid, Anadolu Agency, Febuary 14, 2025 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-arrests-gaza-doctor-abu-safiya-under-unlawful-combatant-law-rights-group/3482615
[7] “Hundreds missing from Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Hospital amid Israeli bombardment” Al Jazeera Jan 8, 2024 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/8/location-of-staff-600-al-aqsa-hospital-patients-unknown-director
[8] “Statement of the killing and arbitrary detention of health workers in Gaza,” UNHCR, June 25, 2024 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/statement-gaza-ohchr-25jun24/
