2 days ago
NGOs demand Israel release detained Palestinian health workers
DaysofPal – A coalition of 25 international organizations has issued a strong call for the immediate and unconditional release of Palestinian healthcare workers unlawfully detained by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
The joint statement, titled 'Release the Doctors,' was released on June 30 by leading human rights and humanitarian groups including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA, Médecins Sans Frontières, MedGlobal, and Physicians for Human Rights, among others.
According to the statement, at least 185 medical and humanitarian personnel, including doctors, nurses, ambulance crews, and workers from NGOs such as MedGlobal and Children Not Numbers, have been detained by Israeli authorities as of February 2025. Many of those held remain in unknown conditions. Some who have been released have reported suffering abuse during detention, while others have tragically died in custody.
These detentions take place amid a broader pattern of what the NGOs describe as a systematic assault on Gaza's healthcare system during Israel's ongoing war, now entering its twenty-first month.
Since October 2023, nearly 700 attacks have been documented against hospitals, clinics, ambulances, and shelters, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 health workers and 460 aid workers.
The statement notes that the detention and targeting of health personnel and infrastructure constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including protections enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which prohibits attacks on medical personnel and facilities in conflict zones.
The coalition warns that these actions, if left unchecked, will set a dangerous global precedent. 'If health workers can be detained and attacked in one of the world's most closely watched conflicts with impunity,' the statement reads, 'it sets a dangerous precedent for the treatment of health workers around the world.'
The organizations stress that these detentions not only violate legal norms but also jeopardize life-saving care for Palestinians, many of whom are already cut off from medical treatment due to the destruction of Gaza's health infrastructure.
With health services collapsing under siege and displacement, the signatories call on Israel to immediately release all unlawfully held health workers and to end its attacks on the medical system.
They also urge the international community to take urgent steps to uphold the protection of healthcare in conflict and hold violators accountable. The joint demand reflects mounting global concern over the safety of medical professionals in Gaza, where hospitals and field clinics are often among the first targets, and where doctors and nurses have become prisoners instead of protectors.
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