Al Jazeera opinion urges WMA action over detained Palestinian doctors
The author calls on delegates at the World Medical Association’s Rotterdam assembly to seek releases, access to detainees and public investigations into attacks on healthcare.
An Al Jazeera opinion article published ahead of the World Medical Association’s assembly in Rotterdam urges delegates to press for the release of detained Palestinian doctors and address attacks on healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank.
The author names doctors Hussam Abu Safia, Mazen al-Rantisi and Mohammed Hassan Ali Obeid, and calls for independent access to those still held. The article makes claims about their detention that have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
The author also urges the WMA to support independent investigations into attacks on healthcare and ensure findings are made public. The article says the association adopted a resolution on protecting healthcare in conflict last year, and calls on member associations to press governments to act.
Citing World Health Organization figures, the opinion article reports more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare in Gaza since 7 October 2023, with more than 1,000 deaths and 1,700 injuries. It says roughly 90 per cent of Gaza’s health infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
For the West Bank, the article cites more than 1,000 documented attacks since the same date, resulting in 42 deaths and at least 218 injuries. The figures and accounts are presented by the opinion article and have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
The source does not establish whether delegates will consider the requests at the Rotterdam assembly.
