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Israel rights group petitions top court to order release of 14 Gaza doctors
TL;DR
An Israeli rights group has petitioned the Supreme Court for the release of 14 Gaza doctors detained without charge for over a year. The group includes specialists critical to Gaza's healthcare system, which has been severely impacted by ongoing conflict.
Key points
- 14 Gaza doctors held without charge for over a year
- Petition filed by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
- Detention hinders Gaza's healthcare rehabilitation
Mentioned in this story
Physicians for Human Rights-IsraelDr. Hussam Abu SafiaGaza
An Israeli human rights organisation has petitioned the Supreme Court to demand the immediate release of 14 doctors from Gaza held without charge for more than a year.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) said on Thursday that it filed the petition after the Israeli military’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir failed to respond to its request to release the group, which includes paediatricians, orthopaedic specialists and surgeons.
Substantial evidence has emerged during more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza that the enclave’s healthcare infrastructure has been systematically destroyed.
PHRI said the continued detention of doctors is hindering efforts to rehabilitate Gaza’s healthcare system and called on international actors to show solidarity in pushing for their release.
Among those in Israeli custody is Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who has been held without charge for nearly 18 months. Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained in December 2024 when Israeli forces stormed the facility, then the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza.
His brother, Muafaq Abu Safia, told the Reuters news agency that they were informed by their lawyer that Hussam Abu Safia had lost 40kg (88lb) while in prison, and suffered four fractured ribs along with other ailments.
“All the crimes inflicted on him by the occupation [Israel] were just because he refused to leave the hospital and patients,” Muafaq told Reuters.
United Nations experts have warned that Safia has been subjected to “severe torture”, while Amnesty International said his detention forms part of a broader pattern by Israel aimed at dismantling Gaza’s healthcare system and creating conditions that make it impossible for Palestinian society to exist.
Rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare
Numerous aid groups have warned that Gaza is facing a critical shortage of medical supplies due to Israeli restrictions.
Victoria Rose, a plastic surgeon who made several trips to Gaza between March 2024 and June 2025 to provide specialist care, told Al Jazeera the conditions she encountered were “unimaginable”.
“During the height of the war, conditions were incomparable to what they had been before the conflict. The worst period was in May and June 2025. There was a complete blockade of fuel, water and food. We had no supplies at all. We had only two types of antibiotics.
“It was unimaginable, and patients were arriving in overwhelming numbers.
Israel has denied deliberately targeting medical workers in Gaza and has accused Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes, but has provided no credible evidence to support those claims.
Q&A
Why are 14 Gaza doctors being held without charge by Israel?
The 14 doctors, including specialists like paediatricians and surgeons, are being held without charge as part of a broader military operation, with claims of their detention hindering Gaza's healthcare rehabilitation.
Who is Dr. Hussam Abu Safia and why is he significant?
Dr. Hussam Abu Safia is the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital and has been detained for nearly 18 months, making his case emblematic of the challenges facing Gaza's healthcare system.
What actions has Physicians for Human Rights-Israel taken regarding the detained doctors?
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding the immediate release of the 14 detained doctors after receiving no response from the Israeli military's Chief of Staff.
