Systematic Abuse of Gaza's Healthcare Workers: A Call for Accountability
Reports from Gaza reveal a harrowing narrative of abuse and torture faced by healthcare professionals detained by Israeli forces. Various organizations, including the UN and independent NGOs, have raised alarms over the treatment of these medical workers, with claims of physical mistreatment spanning several months.
The Israeli human rights organization BTselem categorizes Israel's prison system as a series of torture camps dedicated to the suffering of Palestinians. This is part of a broader trend documenting the systematic targeting of healthcare staff amid ongoing conflicts. According to the Palestinian NGO Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a total of 162 Gazan healthcare workers, including over 20 doctors, remain incarcerated without formal charges. Among them are some of the most seasoned medical professionals in Gaza, contributing to a collapse in healthcare services for the civilian population.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed grave concerns regarding the safety and wellbeing of these healthcare workers, highlighting that 24 additional staff members have gone missing since being taken by Israeli forces during hospital raids. The WHO affirmed that since the outbreak of conflict in October 2023, at least 297 healthcare workers have been detained by the Israeli Army, with reports indicating a total of 339 detained over the last 16 months.
HWW’s director, Muath Alser, condemned these detentions as a violation of international law, emphasizing that denying access to medical professionals exacerbates the plight of civilians requiring medical attention. The attack on healthcare personnel has resulted in preventable deaths and the disappearance of essential medical specialties in Gaza, further stressing an already overwhelmed healthcare system.
Compelling testimonies have emerged from physicians who endured physical abuse. Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Al Shifa Hospital, described a harrowing experience of brutal treatment during his seven-month detention, which included beatings, starvation, and humiliation. Similarly, Dr. Issam Abu Ajwa recounted his horrifying experience of being tortured and mistreated while performing a surgery, only to be beaten and detained by soldiers.
Dr. Mahmud Abu Shehada, an orthopedic surgeon, also spoke of relentless beatings during his detention, portraying a climate of continual violence in the centers where detainees were held.
The WHO's director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has condemned these practices, emphasizing that healthcare workers must not be targeted during conflict per the Geneva Conventions. The UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has insisted on the immediate release of detained healthcare personnel and called for an end to practices classified as enforced disappearance, torture, and other forms of abuse.
Despite the gravity of these allegations, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintain that their operations comply with international law, stating that those wrongly detained are promptly released. However, the testimonies gathered indicate a disturbing pattern of abuse common across various personal recounts from Palestinians in similar situations.
As global attention heightens towards the treatment of these medical professionals, advocates argue for accountability and adherence to international law, emphasizing that the protection of healthcare workers is paramount in mitigating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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