UN Panel: Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Health Workers 'Deplorable and Flagrant Violations of International Law'

Just over 1,000 days into Israeli forces' genocidal violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations commission on Wednesday forcefully denounced Israel's treatment of health workers from the besieged territory and specifically demanded "the immediate, unconditional, and safe release" of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.

Israel has detained Abu Safiya without charge since capturing him at Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, where he was the director, in December 2024. Renewed calls for Abu Safiya's release have mounted in recent days following his transfer to the underground Rakefet interrogation facility at Nitzan Prison, where his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said that his life is at risk.

"I have visited Dr. Abu Safiya several times since his detention, but the individual I encountered during this latest visit was not the same person I had previously met," Odeh said after visiting the prison last week. "His physical and psychological state, the severe injuries visible on his body, and his personal testimony leave no room for doubt: his life is in immediate danger."

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel—established in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council—on Wednesday urged Israeli authorities to immediately free the doctor and provide him with independent medical care.

Abu Safiya "has been subjected to continued and severe abuse" throughout his detention, and his current grave condition "is the direct result" of reported actions by Israel Prison Service guards, the panel said. It "reflects a broader pattern of violations previously identified in the commission's reports."

The UN experts pointed to their 2025 conclusion that Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and a 2024 publication that found "Israeli security forces deliberately killed, wounded, detained, and severely mistreated medical personnel, constituting the war crimes of wilful killing and torture and the crime against humanity of extermination."

They further demanded freedom for all arbitrarily detained Palestinian medical personnel, declaring that their continued detention "and the severe mistreatment they are subjected to are deplorable and flagrant violations of international law."

In addition to Abu Safiya, Israel is holding at least 13 other senior doctors without charge—and they are among around 9,300 Palestinians "currently in Israeli custody, including thousands held arbitrarily without charge or trial," according to the UN Human Rights Office in the territory. At least 91 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention since October 7, 2023.

The local UN Human Rights Office on Wednesday urged Israel to either free Abu Safiya, or "promptly charge him with a recognizable criminal offense and grant him a fair trial," and either way, ensure he is transferred to a civilian hospital to receive necessary medical care.

"Israel must ensure that its laws governing the detention of Palestinians living under occupation comply with international legal norms and standards, including the prohibition of arbitrary detention and fair trial guarantees, and that its detention officials abide by those standards," the office also said. "All arbitrarily detained Palestinians must be released with immediate effect."

Efforts to secure their freedom through Israeli courts have been unsuccessful. Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said Wednesday that "in its response to the High Court petition on the 14 detained Gaza doctors, the state says that Dr. Abu Safiya has been examined by medical personnel several times since being transferred," but "does not explain why those examinations were necessary, what their findings were, or how they are consistent with its claim that his life is not in danger."

"The response also does not address the serious allegations detailed in the sworn affidavit of Dr. Abu Safiya's lawyer, including severe injuries, repeated loss of consciousness, and a serious concern for his life," the group detailed. "At the same time, the state asks the court to dismiss, without a hearing, the petition by Physicians for Human Rights Israel petition seeking the release of 14 doctors from Gaza who are being held in Israel without charge."

PHRI said that the group "rejects the state's position, arguing that its response fails to address the central issue raised by the petition: The continued detention of 14 doctors without charge or trial despite the catastrophic shortage of medical personnel in Gaza and the ongoing collapse of its healthcare system."

Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice—the UN's top tribunal—over its mass slaughter in Gaza. Additionally, the International Criminal Court has issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the territory.

The UN commission nodded to those cases in its Wednesday statement, stressing that "Israel must adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and international human rights law," and reiterating panel's "intent on ensuring legal accountability, including individual criminal and command responsibility."

"To that end, the commission is committed to investigating alleged violations of international law and identifying those responsible," it said, "and will continue sharing information collected with relevant judicial authorities."