‘Israel is holding 24 Gaza doctors in brutal conditions’

The Palestinian Detainee Protection Center has accused the Israeli military (IDF) of holding 24 doctors detained in Gaza in harsh and inhumane conditions. The organization said in a statement that since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces have arrested more than 400 medical workers. Most of them have been detained without any charges. The center noted that reports from various human rights organizations have revealed that medical workers in Gaza have been subjected to physical torture and systematic psychological abuse while in Israeli custody. According to the World Health Organization, at least 340 health workers have been killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict. According to a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 75% of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers are victims of ‘administrative detention’ (extrajudicial detention). According to the UN, 16 of Gaza’s 23 major hospitals have been partially or completely destroyed. The UN Human Rights Commission has accused Israeli authorities of “violating international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Medical Personnel in times of war” and has demanded an urgent investigation. According to international human rights law expert Dr. Lina Nasser, “The targeting of medical personnel is tantamount to a war crime. Article 24 of the Geneva Conventions clearly states the protection of medical personnel. However, the Israeli military is not following those orders.”