Israeli courts reject petitions to release 14 Palestinian doctors detained without charge

Israeli courts have rejected two petitions seeking the release of 14 Palestinian doctors from the Gaza Strip who remain detained without charges or trial, according to the Israeli human rights organization Physicians for Human Rights.

The organisation said the doctors, including hospital directors and specialists in critical medical fields, remain in Israeli detention facilities under difficult conditions despite the severe shortage of healthcare personnel in Gaza.

In a statement, Physicians for Human Rights said some of the doctors had been held for more than two years without being formally charged or brought before a court for trial.

The organisation condemned their continued detention as a violation of their fundamental rights, warning that it also deprives patients in Gaza of urgently needed medical care.

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It emphasised that the doctors’ absence has further weakened Gaza’s healthcare system, which has suffered extensive damage and severe staffing shortages during Israel’s military offensive.

Naji Abbas, a representative of Physicians for Human Rights, said the court decisions demonstrated the extent of the violations faced by Palestinian medical professionals held in Israeli detention.

He also criticised the Israeli judiciary for failing to protect the detainees’ rights.

The organisation reiterated that the 14 doctors include senior hospital administrators and specialists whose expertise is urgently needed to treat patients in Gaza.

It called attention to the consequences of their continued imprisonment for both the detained medical professionals and the wider Palestinian population, as Gaza’s healthcare services struggle to meet growing humanitarian needs.

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