Israel Court Denies Freedom to 14 Gaza Doctors Held Without Trial
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MENAFNPhysicians for Human Rights Israel said in a statement that both petitions involving the detained Gaza physicians were denied.
“The Supreme Court refused to release 14 doctors, including hospital directors and specialist physicians,” the group said.
Separately, the Lod District Court rejected a bid to let Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, undergo an independent medical examination and get a second opinion, even though his file contains “concerning indications in his medical records.”
“The 14 doctors are being held in Israeli prisons without being charged or brought to trial,” the organization said.
Some of the doctors have been in custody for more than two years, the group added, while Gaza’s health system struggles with a severe shortage of medical staff.
Gaza’s health sector has been largely devastated during Israel’s military campaign in the enclave since October 2023, and about 90% of its overall infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Israeli troops detained Abu Safiya on Dec. 27, 2024, during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital. According to the rights group, Israel is holding him without charge or trial under its “Unlawful Combatants Law,” which permits extended detention based on intelligence files and classified evidence.
Medical concerns in his file
The group said Israeli professor Amit Tirosh, a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology, wrote a medical opinion after reviewing Abu Safiya’s file held by the Israel Prison Service.
Tirosh flagged several worrying health indicators that, according to the organization, were not given proper follow-up tests and care.
The records show Abu Safiya’s weight fell from 90 kilograms (198 pounds) in January 2025 to 76 kilograms (168 pounds) in May of that year.
Tirosh also noted a drop in hemoglobin, no testing to establish the cause of reported chest pain, and a delayed scabies diagnosis, the group said.
“On July 5, 2026, Israel Prison Service records documented bruising around his left eye, along with dizziness and pain in his ribs,” the organization added.
The group said Abu Safiya had earlier told his lawyer that prison guards beat him. His medical records, it said, do not explain the cause of the documented injuries.
Tirosh further concluded that the contents of the file contradict the court’s finding that Abu Safiya had no health problems apart from high blood pressure, and he stressed the need for additional examinations.
The court still refused to allow an independent physician to see him, the group said. Tirosh has not been allowed to examine Abu Safiya in person, and the Israel Prison Service has declined to hand Physicians for Human Rights Israel his updated records, leaving the group unable to assess his current condition.
Authorities’ stated reasons
The group said the court ruling showed Israeli authorities opposed an independent examination based on claims, some made in closed hearings, about Abu Safiya’s international contacts and alleged influence over other detainees.
The international campaign demanding his release was also cited among the factors behind the ruling, according to the group.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel rejected those arguments as grounds for denying him an independent medical opinion. It said he was kept in solitary confinement for a period starting in June 2026 and is now held with just one other prisoner, with no contact with the broader detainee population.
The group stressed that the right to a second medical opinion is guaranteed under Israeli law and Israel Prison Service regulations and should not hinge on a detainee’s public profile or security allegations against him.
About 9,350 Palestinians are currently in Israeli prisons, including roughly 350 children and 90 women, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights organizations. Rights groups say detainees have endured torture, starvation and medical neglect, with dozens dying in custody.
Abuses against Palestinian detainees have intensified since October 2023, rights groups say, during the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000, most of them women and children.
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