Overview
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which filed its petition Thursday, asked the Supreme Court to order the immediate release of 14 Gaza physicians held for more than a year without charge.
- The petition also urges IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to revoke the detention warrants issued under the Unlawful Combatants Law, a statute that lets the state hold people indefinitely without filing charges.
- PHRI alleges the doctors were denied medical care and food and were physically abused, while Israel’s Prison Service denied any mistreatment and the military said it needs detainee ID numbers to examine specific claims.
- Among those held is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, seized in a late‑2024 raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital; the military has accused him of Hamas membership without publishing verifiable evidence, and his family reports major weight loss and broken ribs.
- PHRI says the 14 are part of nearly 400 Gaza health workers detained since October 2023, with about 60 still in custody, and it argues their release is vital to rebuilding Gaza’s battered health system; no court hearing date has been announced.