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Palestinian medical professionals operating in Gaza have leveled serious allegations against Israeli forces, claiming the use of electric shocks, coercive tactics by turning medics into human shields, and ongoing torture after being detained without charges.
Dr. Khaled Al-Serr, a surgeon at Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported that the Israeli military conducted raids on his facility multiple times, arresting numerous healthcare workers while they were tending to injured patients.
Al-Serr recounted a harrowing experience of his detention in March of the previous year, where he and others were stripped of their clothing and forced to serve as human shields before being transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention center located in southern Israel.
Once there, he alleged that he faced coercion into making false confessions while being handcuffed for three continuous months, subjected to severe beatings that resulted in fractured ribs, and interrogated regarding the operations of the hospital.
This testimony aligns with a chilling report from the UN, which indicated Monday that Israeli forces have killed 15 additional medical personnel while they were engaged in rescue operations for the wounded in the city of Rafah.
Reports indicate that over 250 Palestinian medics—including doctors, nurses, and emergency responders—have been detained by Israeli authorities since the onset of hostilities in October 2023. Human rights group Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) suggests that 180 of these individuals remain in custody without legal recourse or clarity regarding their status.
An independent UN commission released findings in October that accused Israel of pursuing a systematic campaign aimed at dismantling Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, citing “persistent and intentional attacks” on healthcare providers and facilities as acts constituting grave breaches of international law and potential crimes against humanity.
The Israeli military has consistently denied these allegations of mistreating medics, claiming that Hamas has misused hospitals in Gaza for military purposes, yet little verifiable evidence has been provided to substantiate this claim.
Palestinian healthcare workers have described appalling scenes of violent raids and shelling in hospitals, mass detentions, unexplained disappearances, torture, and even fatalities while in custody.
Emerging details about these incidents coincide with a recent The Independent investigation revealing alarming accounts of abuse, torture, and deaths among Palestinian detainees, some of whom were recognized as top medical professionals within Gaza.
Dr. Al-Serr recalled one particularly painful night of his ordeal, detailing, “I was restrained so tightly that I couldn’t move. My ability to breathe was severely compromised.
“Soldiers were sitting on my body, stomping on me, kicking me, hitting me repeatedly with the blunt ends of their rifles. I describe my experience as akin to descending into hell.”
He reported that fellow injured inmates sought his assistance, and among them were four men who alleged they had been raped by Israeli guards, resulting in severe injuries.
One detainee, only 24 years old, expressed his anguish to Dr. Al-Serr, recounting torture that included sexual violence, further compounded by the trauma of receiving news that his family had been killed in Gaza. The psychological toll was so intense that he suffered breakdowns, resulting in involuntary defecation and urination.
Dr. Iyas al-Bursh, a general practitioner from Al Shifa Hospital, described being taken into custody last March and suffering four months in Sde Teiman, followed by another seven months in Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank.
“My time was marked by severe hardship and cruelty, filled with physical assaults, psychological torment, and a glaring neglect of medical needs,” he recounted, highlighting the profound impact of Israel’s bombings on his family.
“Our fundamental human rights were ignored, and we were cut off from any communication with our families or legal support.”
An investigation by the Israeli military has identified at least one case of alleged torture involving guards at Sde Teiman, where indictments cited five guards for serious assault, including inflicting significant injuries on a prisoner.
Nevertheless, the military characterized this as an isolated occurrence and asserted that mistreatment of medics is not a policy.
“Some individuals arrested in medical facilities were linked to terrorist activity, including those impersonating healthcare personnel while engaging in militant operations,” the military’s statement to The Independent claimed.
Yasmine al-Bursh, wife of the late Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, a prominent Palestinian surgeon, recounted piecing together the circumstances of her husband’s death in Ofer prison last April, following four months of detention.
She mentioned that former cellmates reported severe weight loss and the existence of brutal mistreatment meted out to him.
Dr. Guy Shalev, an Israeli collaborator with PHRI, emphasized that Palestinian medics are increasingly at risk under the current Israeli administration, even while they remain protected under international laws and conventions. He noted the critical implications of targeting healthcare during ongoing conflicts.
“The absence of prominent medical professionals due to detentions severely undermines their ability to contribute to care efforts for the population,” he stated.
“When healthcare systems are attacked, the impact reverberates through the entire population, precipitating wider ramifications for the future of humanitarian assistance and the ability to care for one another.”
He ominously warned of the broader implications of infringing on international laws protecting healthcare in conflict zones, foreshadowing consequences for humanity in forthcoming disputes.
“These violations are glaring and largely unaccounted for; the absence of international pressure to enforce these legal protections casts doubt on their relevance and enforceability.”
“This trajectory poses serious concerns about how the principles of care—encompassing the innate ability to look after others—will evolve.”
In the aftermath of escalating violence, the conflict intensified following Hamas attacks in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in over 1,200 casualties and more than 250 individuals taken hostage.
Reports from Palestinian health authorities estimate over 50,000 fatalities among Palestinians due to Israeli bombardments, with a significant number, including more than 1,057 medical workers, lost according to UN assessments.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, revealed in January that at least 136 attacks on various hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza had been documented, stressing the necessity for stringent protection of healthcare in conflict situations.
Currently, only 15 out of 24 hospitals are operational, severely hampering medical responses due to the detainment of numerous healthcare professionals.
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