We demand the release of imprisoned Palestinian doctors

Dear Friend,

Rotem here. I am the media coordinator for Refuser Solidarity Network: I work to report the latest demonstrations and actions against genocide and occupation from the ground here in Israel-Palestine. While an official “ceasefire” is in place in Gaza, Israeli bombs continue to be dropped on Palestinians. And nearly three years since Israel embarked on a genocidal mission in Gaza, Palestinians from Gaza, kidnapped without trial, are still detained in Israeli torture camps. These include doctors who were violently detained while treating patients maimed by Israeli bombs. They remain imprisoned out of sight but activists are making sure they are not forgotten, and reminding us all that we must continue to fight for their release.

Two weeks ago, activists stood in front of the Israeli Medical Association, calling on Israeli doctors to honor their medical oaths. The message was simple: the Israeli medical system is not only silent, but complicit in the detention, torture and normalization of violence against Palestinain medical teams.
 

Doctors from Gaza have been arrested and detained for years now without trial, with reports from major humanitarian groups attesting to the torture they continue to face. Dr. Husam Abu Safiya is the most well-known doctor being held in what have become known as Israeli torture camps. Dr. Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been detained by Israeli forces since December 2024, under the "Unlawful Combatants Law" without charge or trial.

“Stop kidnapping medical teams from Gaza,” protesters demanded, “and torturing them in torture camps. Release Dr. Husam Abu Safiya from the torture camp in which he is kept.” The protesters highlighted what many of us already know: from approving brutal interrogation techniques to writing false medical reports, doctors in Israel have taken an active role in the torture of Palestinian prisoners.

While I was filming videos for our media channels , we were met with hecklers and attempts by police to shut down the demonstration. And while the protest was modest in size, we should all be paying attention. These smaller demos are part of a much larger movement and set of actors.

In solidarity,

Rotem Sudman
Media Coordinator
Refuser Soldiarity Netowrk