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WMA Urges Release of Detained Palestinian Doctors

The World Medical Association (WMA) has called on governments to free Palestinian doctors who have been detained without charge amid the Gaza conflict. The appeal follows the deaths of more than 1,700 health workers in Gaza and the arrest of hundreds of medics, including paediatrician Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who has been held for 22 months. Dr Abu Safia, former head of Kamal Adwan Hospital, reports ongoing solitary confinement, beatings and untreated medical conditions, while other detained physicians such as Dr Mazen al‑Rantisi and Dr Mohammed Hassan Ali Obeid remain uncharged. WHO data show over 1,000 attacks on health facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, destroying roughly 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure and forcing patients to miss essential care. The WMA’s 2025 resolution on protecting health workers in conflict zones now demands that member associations use their influence to pressure Israel and other authorities to comply with international law. At its Rotterdam assembly, the association plans to publicly demand the release of detained medics, call for independent investigations into attacks on healthcare, and support access for those still held. The call underscores the WMA’s ethical mandate that medical neutrality must be upheld even in wartime, reminding that white coats should be protected worldwide, not selectively.

· Al Jazeera

The essential points

  1. 01WMA urges Israel to release 80+ detained Palestinian doctors, including Dr Abu Safia, held without charge for 22 months.
  2. 02WHO reports 1,000 attacks on Gaza health facilities, destroying 90 % of infrastructure and killing 1,700 workers since Oct 7, 2023.
  3. 03Dr Abu Safia suffers solitary confinement, beatings, weight loss, and untreated conditions while awaiting trial under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law.
  4. 04The Rotterdam assembly will demand independent investigations into healthcare attacks and push for universal protection of medical staff in conflict zones.
The full brief

The World Medical Association (WMA) has called on governments to free Palestinian doctors who have been detained without charge amid the Gaza conflict. The appeal follows the deaths of more than 1,700 health workers in Gaza and the arrest of hundreds of medics, including paediatrician Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who has been held for 22 months. Dr Abu Safia, former head of Kamal Adwan Hospital, reports ongoing solitary confinement, beatings and untreated medical conditions, while other detained physicians such as Dr Mazen al‑Rantisi and Dr Mohammed Hassan Ali Obeid remain uncharged.

WHO data show over 1,000 attacks on health facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, destroying roughly 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure and forcing patients to miss essential care. The WMA’s 2025 resolution on protecting health workers in conflict zones now demands that member associations use their influence to pressure Israel and other authorities to comply with international law. At its Rotterdam assembly, the association plans to publicly demand the release of detained medics, call for independent investigations into attacks on healthcare, and support access for those still held.

The call underscores the WMA’s ethical mandate that medical neutrality must be upheld even in wartime, reminding that white coats should be protected worldwide, not selectively.