MSF urges Israel to free detained Palestinian medics
Medical charity condemns Israel's detention of healthcare workers, warning abuse and silence are enabling grave humanitarian violations
GENEVA, Switzerland (MNTV) — Medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has demanded the immediate release of Palestinian healthcare workers detained by Israeli authorities, condemning what it described as systematic persecution and abuse of medical personnel.
In a statement, MSF said it was outraged by Israel’s treatment of Palestinian healthcare workers, accusing Israeli authorities of arbitrarily imprisoning doctors and medical staff in harsh conditions without legal justification.
The organization highlighted the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, who has remained in Israeli detention for more than 18 months.
MSF said he is being held in solitary confinement and has reportedly been subjected to torture, describing his case as part of a broader Israeli campaign targeting Palestinian healthcare professionals.
According to Physicians for Human Rights Israel, more than 50 Palestinian healthcare workers, including at least 15 doctors, remain imprisoned in what the group describes as inhumane conditions. The organization has petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court for their release.
Healthcare Workers Watch reported in April that Israeli forces have detained 446 Palestinian healthcare workers since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. The organization said six of those detainees have died in Israeli custody, with their bodies still being withheld.
MSF also called for the immediate and unconditional release of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mohammed Obeid, who has spent more than 600 days in Israeli detention after being arrested while working at Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The organization criticized the international community for failing to hold Israel accountable, warning that continued silence in the face of abuses against Palestinian medical personnel amounts to complicity.
It urged world leaders to publicly condemn Israel’s actions and press for the protection of healthcare workers under international humanitarian law.
MSF further demanded that all detained medical personnel be provided with proper medical care, humane detention conditions and legal protections until their release.
Earlier this month, both the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for the release of Dr. Abu Safia and other Palestinian medical workers held without due process.
Abu Safia’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, has warned that the doctor’s health has deteriorated significantly and alleged he has endured repeated torture while being held without trial under Israel’s “unlawful combatant” designation.
Before his detention, Abu Safia had become one of the most prominent voices documenting the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system during Israel’s military offensive.
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