A coalition of six progressive US lawmakers has formally condemned the systematic targeting and detention of Palestinian healthcare workers by Israeli forces. The statement highlights the ongoing imprisonment of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, who has been held in custody since December 2024.
The joint appeal was signed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Summer Lee, Pramila Jayapal, and Delia Ramirez. The lawmakers characterized the actions against Gaza’s medical sector as an intentional strategy aimed at furthering occupation, apartheid, and genocide against Palestinians.
According to the statement, the Israeli government has decimated the Palestinian health system over the past three years, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,700 medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, while destroying numerous hospital facilities. The group further reported that hundreds of healthcare workers have been arbitrarily detained, with at least 16 physicians currently held in inhumane conditions.
Dr. Abu Safia was taken into custody by Israeli soldiers after he and his colleagues opted to remain at Kamal Adwan Hospital to treat patients despite evacuation orders. Legal representatives for the doctor allege he has since faced significant abuse, including torture, beatings, and sleep deprivation. He currently remains in detention without charge or trial.
These actions, condemned by various rights organizations and United Nations officials, are seen as part of a broader effort to deny essential services, including medical care, to the population of Gaza. While Israeli officials maintain that medical facilities are targeted because they are allegedly used by armed groups to coordinate operations, these justifications have frequently faced intense scrutiny. Including the destruction of nearly all of the strip’s hospitals and medical centres, are one component of what rights groups have depicted as an effort to deprive Palestinians of essential services such as food, water and medical treatment, israeli attacks on health infrastructure in Gaza. Such claims have often failed to withstand scrutiny.
In a documented incident from March 2025, Israel acknowledged that its soldiers killed 15 emergency responders in southern Gaza. While the military initially claimed the convoy approached forces “suspiciously” and alleged without evidence that the medics were linked to Hamas, independent investigations have contested this narrative. A report published by Forensic Architecture and Earshot concluded that Israeli soldiers fired over 900 bullets at the clearly marked ambulance convoy, killing several medics in what they described as an execution-style manner before burying both the victims and their vehicles.