SAFA- The Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners warned on Thursday that 16 doctors from the Gaza Strip remain detained by Israeli occupation authorities under harsh and inhumane conditions.

In a statement to Safa News Agency, the center said the doctors are being held in solitary confinement, denied family visits and communication, and subjected to mistreatment, inadequate food, medical neglect, and harsh interrogations.

It said the detentions are part of an Israeli policy targeting Palestinian healthcare workers who remained at their posts to treat the wounded and sick during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The center called for the immediate release of all detained Palestinian doctors and prisoners, particularly those who are ill, children, and administrative detainees. It described the continued detention of medical personnel as "a stain on the conscience of the international community" and on institutions that claim to protect humanitarian and medical workers.

The statement said the detention of Palestinian doctors forms part of a broader assault on Gaza's healthcare system. It said that attacks on hospitals and medical staff, the arrest of doctors, and the denial of their basic rights amount to an attack on Palestinians' right to healthcare and life, while undermining the territory's already devastated medical sector.

According to the center, detained doctors are held in extremely harsh conditions without regular access to food, healthcare, or communication with their families. The lack of information about their health or whereabouts has heightened concerns for their safety, particularly amid reports of torture, abuse, and the denial of essential medication.

The center highlighted the cases of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who it said has been subjected to abuse, solitary confinement, and threats, and Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, whose health has reportedly deteriorated after being denied medication and communication with his family.

It said these cases reflect a broader policy targeting Palestinian medical personnel "as witnesses, rescuers, and bearers of a humanitarian mission."

The center added that the continued imprisonment of doctors, at a time when Gaza faces a severe shortage of medical personnel, not only harms the detainees but also deprives thousands of patients and wounded Palestinians of urgently needed medical care.

It said the detention conditions—including isolation, denial of family visits, inadequate medical treatment, hunger, and other forms of mistreatment—violate international humanitarian law, which grants special protection to healthcare workers, as well as international standards governing the treatment of prisoners.

The center held Israeli occupation authorities and prison officials fully responsible for the lives and well-being of the detained doctors, warning that continued medical neglect could result in further humanitarian consequences.

It called on the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, medical associations, and international human rights organizations to urgently intervene by visiting the detained doctors, assessing their conditions, ensuring they receive medical care, and pressing for their immediate and unconditional release.

The center also called for an independent international investigation into the treatment of Palestinian doctors in Israeli prisons, urging accountability for torture, abuse, and other violations committed against detained medical personnel.

It concluded by stressing that securing the release of the detained doctors is an urgent humanitarian obligation, warning that continued international silence amounts to complicity in the ongoing violations against Palestinian healthcare workers and Gaza's health system.