Gaza – Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy
Israeli occupation authorities are holding 24 doctors from the Gaza Strip in their prisons, in addition to dozens of other detained medical, technical, and administrative staff members who were arrested from health and medical centers in the Gaza Strip since October 7, according to the latest data obtained by the Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy.
These detainees are held in various prisons and detention centers and are suffering from dire health conditions, according to testimonies from several doctors previously released by the occupation. Among the most notable of these cases is Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, who was arrested by occupation forces after their siege of the hospital in November 2023.
The Israeli Prison Authority deliberately exacerbates the suffering of these doctors, subjecting them to extremely harsh and degrading treatment. Two doctors have died in these prisons: Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, one of Gaza’s most skilled orthopedic surgeons and head of the Orthopedic Department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, who died after enduring continuous torture and severe beatings for days without receiving medical care even as his condition deteriorated; and Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi, an obstetrics and gynecology consultant at Kamal Adwan Hospital, who also died in Israeli prisons following torture, with his death only being announced by the occupation seven months later.
In a previous testimony about the arrest and death of Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, released doctor Khaled Hamoud stated that many detainees in Sde Teiman camp were specialized doctors. He added that Dr. Al-Bursh was among them and was subjected to brutal beatings and torture, experiencing pain all over his body. He was stripped naked from the waist down, likely had broken ribs, and was unable to go to the bathroom on his own. Hamoud testified that prison guards threw Dr. Al-Bursh into the prison yard in a pitiful condition, unable to stand. When another prisoner tried to help him, it was evident that he was in his final moments, passing away only a few hours later. Various human rights sources suggested that Al-Bursh was subjected to sexual assault before his death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations have condemned the detention and arrest of medical personnel from the Gaza Strip in Israeli prisons, demanding their release. Reports from the UN and human rights organizations, including Physicians for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, have documented cases of torture, violence, and psychological abuse against healthcare workers during detention.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health previously announced that the occupation deliberately focuses its arrest campaigns on doctors and healthcare workers. Statistics indicate that since October 2023 and up until July 2025, more than 400 doctors, nurses, administrators, and technicians have been detained. Some have been released through prisoner exchange deals or at other times, yet no formal charges were ever filed against them.
