Abuse of medical staff by Israel

Reports of torture, beatings, starvation and humiliation of Palestinian medical staff by Israeli authorities

February 2025

With the welcome release of hostages from Gaza as part of the peace process, there has been considerable coverage of the condition of those arriving back home in Israel. Some have died in custody either as a result of bombing by Israel or by other means. Since journalists are not allowed in Gaza, obtaining independent confirmation of which is difficult. Those released have looked thin and haggard and Hamas used the process to make propaganda points. There have been no reports of torture or mistreatment however. Further coverage has shown their reception in Israel with large crowds welcoming them home.

Credible reports are emerging of the treatment of Palestinian medical people in Israel prisons. Health Care Workers Watch in a report published in December last year (accessible on their site) paints an horrific picture of their treatment. Medical staff, including surgeons, have been seized in hospitals – sometimes in the midst of performing surgery – and subjected to sustained brutal treatment and torture in Israel. Similar reports are produced by the World Health Organisation.

Medical staff have been thrown into lorries and have suffered severe beatings leaving them incapable of standing, The range of mistreatment is horrific and the detailed descriptions disturbing. In brief the treatment has included: beatings, often using rifle butts; severe injuries to genitalia; anal rape – again often with rifles; use of dogs; electrocution, sometimes while suspended from the ceiling; people forced into stress positions; prolonged solitary confinement; extremely loud music to prevent sleep, and not allowing medical prisoners to wash or change clothes for sustained periods of time sometimes months. All were eventually released without charge. WHO suggests that 297 medical staff were held, HCWW claim it was 384.

The reports paint a picture that suggests these arrests, combined with the attacks and destruction of medical facilities in Gaza itself, are part of a plan to make the territory unliveable. The reports are supported by evidence from an Israeli organisation, Physicians for Human Rights in Israel. They have visited prisoners and carried out their own interviews supporting the above allegations. A CNN report provides further horrific details. The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem published a report Welcome to Hell describing the cruelties and torture inflicted in Israeli prisons more widely. There is also a report by Human Rights Watch on the torture of Palestinian medics. The Israeli government has denied all these allegations saying prisoners are held and treated according to law.

People reading this post may be surprised at the information above. This is because of the widespread failure of media to report it. There is considerable coverage of the homecomings and of the release of Hamas detainees whereas the treatment described here has received limited coverage.

The importance of language

Language is important no more so than during a time of conflict. Media reports describe those released by Hamas as ‘hostages’ in exchange for ‘prisoners’ being released by Israel. This is the language used by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and print media to describe these events. It has become the standard way to describe them. It is thoroughly misleading. It demonstrates the capture of British media by the steady drip of Israeli misinformation combined with banning journalists access on the ground. It may also be an indication of the fear media groups have of being labelled ‘antisemitic’. Almost all criticism of Israel is labelled thus. Such criticism gives rise to accusations of the critic being ‘pro Hamas’. It is conveniently forgotten that Benyamin Netanyahu was a supporter of the organisation in an attempt to weaken the PLO.

Considerable evidence – from within the country and outside – shows that Israel has seized scores of medics (the subject of this post), threw them into lorries and subjected them to sustained periods of torture, abuse, did not allowed access to lawyers and with no charges made. How is this different from hostages? The word ‘prisoner’ implies some process of law. It also implies that said prisoners had committed some kind of crime. Yet no charges were made, none were taken before a magistrate, none were allowed legal representation and they were eventually released without charge after prolonged periods of mistreatment, solitary confinement and torture.

This has enabled Israel to occupy a kind of higher moral ground. The country suffered terribly on October 7th. Hamas killed 1,200*, seized hostages in their fearful raid on October 7th 2023 and held them for months and it still holds on to some. This is a war crime. Yet Israel’s subsequent behaviour, killing around 48,300 in Gaza with over 111,000 injured (WHO figures) and the vast destruction and mounting violence in the West Bank, has lost the nation much sympathy. It has not solved its central problem of long-term security and the prospects for a two state solution seem further away than ever.

Western media, by failing to report on these issues, is guilty of misleading the public.

Sources: WHO; CNN; Guardian; Health Care Workers Watch; Physicians for Human Rights in Israel; B’Tselem; Human Rights Watch. See also Health Workers for Palestine

*revised figure – Times of Israel 11 November 2023.