Over 160 Gazan healthcare workers detained in Israeli prisons, reports indicate

More than 160 healthcare workers from Gaza, including senior doctors, remain in Israeli detention facilities amid reports of mistreatment, prompting international concern over their safety and well-being.

Healthcare workers held amid conflict

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Palestinian medical NGO Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW) report that at least 162 medical personnel remain in Israeli custody, with an additional 24 missing after being taken from hospitals during the conflict.

Muath Alser, director of HWW, condemned the mass detention, stating it violates international law and exacerbates Gaza’s humanitarian crisis by depriving civilians of essential medical care.

“Israel’s targeting of the healthcare workforce in this manner is having a devastating impact on the provision of healthcare to Palestinians, with extensive suffering, countless preventable deaths, and the effective eradication of whole medical specialties,” Alser said.

As of February 25, 2025, HWW documented 384 cases of unlawful detention of healthcare workers in Palestine by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023.

• Ninety-seven physicians, six dentists, 111 nurses, 62 paramedics, eight pharmacists, one optometrist, 27 technicians, 41 healthcare administrative staff, 14 healthcare students, three volunteers, one nutritionist, one community healthcare worker, one prosthetist, one physiotherapist, three psychologist and seven others.
• At least 185 are currently in detention (including the bodies of four healthcare workers killed in detention), 24 are missing after their hospital invasion, and 175 were released (5 of them were detained twice and then released, 19 were released as part of the prisoner’s exchange deal, at least two were released after being used as human shields).
• 339 were unlawfully detained from the Gaza Strip and 45 from the West Bank.
• At least 96 healthcare workers gave their testimonies of torture and inhumane treatment to HWW or other platforms.
• On average, a Palestinian detained healthcare worker spent in Israeli prisons 246 days (median = 343 days), ranging from 1 day to 480 days

Allegations of abuse in detention

The WHO has verified that 297 healthcare workers from Gaza have been detained since the war began, though the organization lacks updated figures on how many remain in custody.

HWW’s data suggests the number is higher, documenting at least 339 detentions.

Reports of mistreatment have surfaced, with lawyers and human rights organizations citing cases of physical abuse, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of medical care.

A lawyer representing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, stated that his client was tortured and denied medical treatment while held at Ofer Prison in Ramallah.

Several senior doctors have described being taken from hospitals and ambulances, transferred to Israeli-run detention centers, and subjected to months of alleged abuse before being released without charge.

“I was beaten so badly I couldn’t use my legs or walk. No day passes without torture,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of al-Shifa Hospital, who was detained for seven months before being released.

UN and WHO call for immediate release

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has urged Israel to immediately release medical staff held arbitrarily and end practices that amount to enforced disappearances, torture, and ill-treatment.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also condemned the ongoing detention of medical personnel, emphasizing that under international law, healthcare workers should be protected, not targeted.

“Health workers, the facilities they work in, and the patients they care for must never be targets. In fact, under international humanitarian law, they should be actively protected,” Tedros stated.

Since Feb. 1, 2025, WHO has supported the medical evacuation of 851 patients—320 of them children—from Gaza via the Rafah crossing to receive specialized care in Egypt and other countries. 1295 companions traveled with the patients.

Deaths in detention and Israel’s response

At least two of Gaza’s most senior doctors, Dr. Iyad al-Rantisi, a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist, and Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of the orthopedic department at al-Shifa Hospital, have reportedly died while in Israeli custody.

Israel has defended its detentions, stating that some hospitals were used by Hamas as command centers and that detained healthcare workers were suspected of involvement in militant activities. However, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has stated that Israel has yet to provide substantiated evidence to support these claims.

The Israeli army has maintained that detainees suspected of terrorist activities are taken for further questioning, while those found uninvolved are released back to Gaza.

The Israeli army also stated that it provides detainees with clothing, food, and medical care, and follows procedures in accordance with international law.

However, the accounts of detained healthcare workers align with broader testimonies from former Palestinian detainees, describing systemic abuse and harsh conditions inside Israeli detention centers.