Doctors Without Borders Warns of "International Complicity": Occupation Continues to Detain 95 Health Workers in Gaza Amid Harsh Conditions
Amman / Gaza — Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has condemned the Israeli occupation authorities' continued detention of dozens of Palestinian medical personnel, asserting that international silence regarding these violations is no longer merely inaction but amounts to "complicity."
Solitary Confinement and Torture of Medical Staff
In a strongly worded statement, the organization expressed its outrage at the cruel treatment and appalling conditions faced by doctors and health sector workers in occupation detention centers—detentions carried out without any legal basis.
The statement highlighted the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been detained for a year and a half. He is subjected to solitary confinement and ongoing torture; the organization noted that his case exemplifies a systematic pattern of behavior threatening the medical sector across the Palestinian territories.
Shocking Figures and Harrowing Testimonies
The organization recorded alarming statistics reflecting the scale of direct targeting of the health sector since October 2023:
- 95 health workers remain in arbitrary detention.
- 1,700 medical workers have been killed as a result of direct targeting and assassinations.
- 15 Doctors Without Borders staff members have been killed while performing their humanitarian duties.
Among the prominent detainees is the organization’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mohammed Obeid, detained since October 2024 while working at Kamal Adwan Hospital; he has been held in complete isolation from the outside world and his family for over 600 days.
Urgent International Demands
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reiterated its categorical rejection of the policy of arbitrary detention and the violations committed against medical teams—who are protected under international humanitarian law. The organization demanded the following:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained medical personnel.
- The provision of necessary medical care and detention conditions that uphold human dignity for the detainees until their release.
- That the international community assume its responsibilities and break its silence regarding Israeli practices in Palestine.