Since the hostilities began in October 2023, the Israeli military has detained hundreds of essential healthcare workers in Gaza. The systematic detention of healthcare professionals without charge in Gaza occurred at an alarming rate.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel has collected testimonies revealing the severe conditions faced by detained healthcare workers, including torture, beatings, humiliation, starvation, isolation from legal representation, and incommunicado detention. These individuals have been detained without charges and subjected to enforced disappearance, violating international law.[1]
These detentions have devastated Gaza's already decimated healthcare system. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, over 500 medical personnel have been killed, while the remaining staff are overwhelmed by more than 110,000 wounded civilians. The lack of functional medical evaluation system compounds civilians' suffering. Gaza's irreplaceable health workers - surgeons, pediatricians, gynecologists, obstetricians, orthopedists, and emergency responders - are vital for saving lives and sustaining essential medical services.
As hostage exchange negotiations progress, we call for unlawfully detained medical personnel to be released. Their release is both a humanitarian necessity and a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, which protects medical personnel in armed conflict.
We call on the negotiating parties to secure the release of those unlawfully held who are crucial to saving lives in Gaza's ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Signatories:
- Children Not Numbers
- Human Rights Watch
- MedGlobal
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel
[1] OHCHR. (2024). UN Commission finds war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israeli attacks on Gaza health facilities. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/un-commission-finds-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-israeli-attacks.
