More doctors and healthcare professionals are mobilizing to call for action, demanding the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia and at least 94 other Palestinian medics currently held captive by Israeli authorities.
On Monday, an event organized by Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW) and Amnesty International UK saw doctors and healthcare workers protest outside St Thomas’ Hospital in central London. They called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained healthcare workers, who are reportedly being held in appalling conditions in Israel.
The protest followed an Israeli court’s decision to extend Abu Safia’s arbitrary detention for another six months under the Unlawful Combatants Law, a measure widely criticized as unjust.
Five healthcare workers have died or been killed while in Israeli detention, and five more remain missing, with their whereabouts unknown. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 1,722 healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past two years.
According to HWW, most of these healthcare workers were abducted by the Israeli military from their hospitals or ambulances while on duty. Testimonies collected by HWW and other organizations describe the torture and abuse that Palestinians endure in Israeli detention.
Dr. Rebecca Inglis, an intensive care doctor and co-founder of Gaza Medic Voices, stated, “Israel’s continued detention of nearly one hundred healthcare workers is in clear contravention of International Humanitarian Law. We are gravely concerned for their welfare given the extensive evidence that Palestinian detainees are being tortured while in Israeli detention.”
Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, was arrested by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024, after troops raided the hospital, which was one of the last functioning medical facilities in the region at the time.
Amnesty International noted that the hospital director has been held without charge or trial under an Israeli security law. Despite relentless bombardment and the tragic death of his own son in an Israeli air strike, Abu Safia remained on duty, caring for patients and leading his team through unimaginable conditions.
Since his detention, credible reports have emerged detailing torture, physical abuse, and degrading treatment, including significant weight loss, denial of adequate medical care, hygiene, and timely access to legal counsel—clear violations of international law.
At least 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with many no longer operational. The combination of attacks on healthcare workers, the detention of medical staff, and the destruction of infrastructure has placed immense pressure on Gaza’s already vulnerable health system.
Between October 7, 2023, and October 20, 2025, HWW documented a total of 431 cases of detained Palestinian healthcare workers.
As of October 20, 2025:
HWW has not yet received updates from the families of 22 detained healthcare workers, who are not included in the “confirmed detained” or “confirmed released” figures.
The healthcare professionals still detained by Israel have spent an average of 511 days in detention, with some held since the early weeks of the conflict.
Of the 95 individuals being held, 80 are from Gaza, while 15 are from the occupied West Bank.
From Gaza alone, 31 nurses have been detained, followed by 17 physicians, 15 hospital support and management staff, 14 paramedics, two pharmacists, and one medical technician. Twenty-five held senior positions, 50 occupied mid-level positions, and five were junior healthcare workers. All except one are male.
Most of the healthcare workers lived in North Gaza, with 36 prisoners from there, followed by 24 from Khan Younis, 18 from Gaza City, and 3 from Rafah.
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