MSF demands Israel release detained Palestinian healthcare workers

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 20, 2026, that Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, is demanding Israel immediately release Palestinian healthcare workers it is holding in detention. The medical charity said it was outraged by what it described as the detention of health professionals in harsh conditions and without proper justification, warning that international silence over Israel’s conduct had become a form of complicity.

MSF drew particular attention to Dr Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, who Al Jazeera said has been held for more than a year and a half. The group said Abu Safia is in solitary confinement and has reportedly been tortured. His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, has warned that his health is at risk and that he showed signs of repeated torture. Israel is holding the paediatrician without trial after classifying him as an “unlawful combatant,” according to the report.

The NGO also called for the release of orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mohammed Obeid, who it said has been imprisoned for more than 600 days after being arrested while working at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Al Jazeera cited Physicians for Human Rights Israel as saying more than 50 healthcare workers, including 15 doctors, are currently detained by Israel in inhumane conditions, and that the group has petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court for their release.

The report also cited Healthcare Workers Watch figures from April saying 446 Palestinian healthcare workers have been unlawfully detained by Israeli forces since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, with six reportedly killed in detention. Earlier in July, UN bodies also called for Abu Safia and other arbitrarily detained medical personnel to be released.