Physicians for Human Rights Israel

Physicians for Human Rights Israel PHRI, a non-governmental organization, stands at the forefront of the struggle for human rights & the right to health in particular, in Israel & the oPt.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), a non-governmental organization, stands at the forefront of the struggle for human rights and the right to health in particular, in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Founded in 1988 by a group of Israeli physicians led by Dr. Ruchama Marton, PHRI works to promote a just society where the right to health is granted equally to all people for wh

om Israel is responsible: Israeli citizens, persons without civil status, Palestinians in the oPt, migrants and refugees and prisoners. Based on principles of human rights, medical ethics, and social justice, PHRI combines humanitarian aid with advocacy, aiming to change abusive and discriminatory policies. PHRI operates an Open Clinic for migrants and refugees, and a mobile clinics for Palestinians in the oPt, where hundreds of volunteer health professionals provide medical care for people with limited or no access to healthcare. At the same time our staff receive appeals from individuals whose right to health has been violated, and advocate for change to remedy the situation. Each year we serve more than 20,000 people by providing medical care or assistance in accessing the right to health. PHRI is supported by more than 3,500 members and volunteers from different health and medical professions. Basic in our perception is the understanding that the medical community is sometimes complicit–passively or actively–in oppressive practices that undermine equality and health. Thus it is vital that in all their actions, health professionals refuse to be obedient bureaucrats of a policy that increases inequality and structural violence. They should seek to establish an alternative that does not rely on hatred or a hierarchy of privilege but rather on true equality and solidarity. From its first day PHRI views the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territory as a root cause of multiple human rights violations including the right to health, and actively advocates for its end. Address: 9 Dror Street, Tel Aviv-Jaffa 6813509
Tel: +972-(0)3-5133100
Fax: +972-(0)3-6873029
Email: [email protected]
Website: phr.org.il/en
Registered Organization No. 580142214

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained December 26, 2024, from Kam...
21/06/2026

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained December 26, 2024, from Kamal Adwan Hospital while performing his medical duties. He remains in custody without charges.
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During a conversation with him, Dr. Abu Safiya mentioned that he is still in need of his glasses who were confiscated at the time of his detention, and he was not provided with an alternative since. He also mentioned that he has lost a significant amount of weight and now suffers from skin infections caused by severe conditions.
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Dr. Abu Safiya is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect.
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Over the past two years, detained healthcare workers have reported enduring severe prison conditions, including starvation, medical neglect, violence, and torture. These conditions have led to the deaths of at least 103 detainees, including five healthcare workers from Gaza. As Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of widespread destruction and critical shortages, Israel continues to detain its physicians without trial, in violation of international law.
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Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.
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It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release.
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Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

Why are those who have overcome the most still forced to fight for their most basic needs? This World Refugee Day, I wan...
18/06/2026

Why are those who have overcome the most still forced to fight for their most basic needs? This World Refugee Day, I want to share a glimpse into the world of those living in Israel, invisible to public institutions and without the most basic safety net.

The day before Passover, I was on shift as the in-house social worker at Physicians for Human Rights Israel's Open Clinic in Jaffa when Sami (alias) was wheeled in in an ill-fitting wheelchair with casts on both of his legs. Sami, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, presented us with discharge documents from a nearby hospital which clearly led us to the conclusion that he had attempted su***de.

Unable to care for his own most basic needs, Sami was out of options. His neighbors, Eritrean asylum seekers themselves, who had found him alone in his home and had been caring for him for a week, could not continue doing so. As an asylum seeker in Israel, Sami is excluded from the public healthcare system, and completely reliant on his community and non-profit assistance.

The urgency of his situation was staring me in the face. I began calling anyone I could think of to find a facility that could care for Sami during the long holiday, with no notice. After many long hours during which I refused to take no for an answer, the local welfare office notified us that a hospital willing to accept him had been found. At midnight, Sami was admitted, and my day could finally end.

He was discharged from the hospital after a month and now visits our clinic weekly for physical therapy. Aside from his neighbors, I know that our clinic is Sami’s main safety net in Israel, and I feel the weight of bridging this gap every day. That’s why, beyond the individual assistance we provide to thousands, we also advance policy change and demand that all asylum seekers receive coverage through Israel’s public healthcare system. Until that goal is achieved, we will continue to provide care for those who need us.

To donate, please click the link in the comments. ❤️

- Liri Gofer, Social Worker, The Bella Kaufman Open Clinic, PHRI

17/06/2026



Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.

The photos are used in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

UPDATE - Israel’s Supreme Court Rejects Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s AppealThe rejection of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s appeal an...
16/06/2026

UPDATE - Israel’s Supreme Court Rejects Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s Appeal

The rejection of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s appeal and his continued detention without charge represent a profound moral and legal failure. Rather than upholding the fundamental principles of the rule of law and due process, the court has endorsed the indefinite detention of a hospital director who remains in solitary confinement while suffering from medical conditions that are not receiving appropriate treatment. The message sent by this decision is unmistakable: a medical professional can be deprived of his liberty indefinitely without being charged and without the authorities presenting evidence against him in open court.

Dr. Abu Safiya’s case is not an isolated one. It illustrates how judicial review proceedings for Palestinian detainees from Gaza have, in practice, become little more than a procedural formality. Every month, hundreds of detention review hearings take place, yet to the best of our knowledge they have not resulted in the meaningful reconsideration or revocation of detention orders—even in cases involving doctors and other medical personnel.

We call for the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya and all other doctors who continue to be held without charge or trial.

Dr. Mahmoud AlHallaq, an Intensive Care Unit physician at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024, from Nasser H...
14/06/2026

Dr. Mahmoud AlHallaq, an Intensive Care Unit physician at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024, from Nasser Hospital in an Israeli army raid to the hospital. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings.

During a conversation with him, Dr. AlHallaq mentioned that the whole ward he is held in suffers from scabies, and that although they always ask prison medics for treatment for the scratching – they never receive it. He also mentioned that the food situation is dire – lacking in quality and quantity.

Dr. Mahmoud AlHallaq is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect.

Over the past two years, detained healthcare workers have reported enduring severe prison conditions, including starvation, medical neglect, violence, and torture. These conditions have led to the deaths of at least 103 detainees, including five healthcare workers from Gaza. As Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of widespread destruction and critical shortages, Israel continues to detain its physicians without trial, in violation of international law.

Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.

It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release.

Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

Last Saturday, our Mobile Clinic visited the village of Ra'i in the West Bank for what became one of our busiest days on...
11/06/2026

Last Saturday, our Mobile Clinic visited the village of Ra'i in the West Bank for what became one of our busiest days on record. In a single day, our team treated 765 patients, including 65 children.

Ra'i is home to about 10,000 residents, many of whom rely on agriculture for their livelihoods after being barred from working in Israel. This has left them facing increasingly severe economic hardship. At the same time, their healthcare needs continue to grow amid a worsening healthcare crisis, compounded by the ongoing physicians’ strike in the Palestinian Authority.

As violence from Israeli settlers and military forces grows and access to healthcare becomes more difficult, our Mobile Clinic continues serving the communities most in need, providing essential medical care to those with no other options or protection.

Dr. Omar Ammar, a gyno-oncologist, was detained March 3, 2024, while passing through tanks in his hometown. He remains i...
10/06/2026

Dr. Omar Ammar, a gyno-oncologist, was detained March 3, 2024, while passing through tanks in his hometown. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings.

During a conversation with him, Dr. Ammar mentioned that he was held in a cell with 10 people – each had a mattress but there were only 6 beds, meaning 4 people would sleep on thin mattresses on the floor.

Dr. Omar Ammar is among dozens of healthcare workers from who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect.

Over the past two years, detained healthcare workers have reported enduring severe prison conditions, including starvation, medical neglect, violence, and torture. These conditions have led to the deaths of at least 103 detainees, including five healthcare workers from Gaza. As Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of widespread destruction and critical shortages, Israel continues to detain its physicians without trial, in violation of international law.

Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.

It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release.

Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

Dr. Raed Mahdi, a pediatrician at Muhammad Al-Durra Children’s Hospital, was detained December 8, 2023 from his home in ...
09/06/2026

Dr. Raed Mahdi, a pediatrician at Muhammad Al-Durra Children’s Hospital, was detained December 8, 2023 from his home in Central Gaza along with his neighbors. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings.

During a conversation with him, Dr. Mahdi mentioned that even two years into his detention, food is still scarce – lacking in quantity and quality. He also mentioned that he still suffers from an inguinal hernia that causes him daily pain.

Dr. Mahdi is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect.

Over the past two years, detained healthcare workers have reported enduring severe prison conditions, including starvation, medical neglect, violence, and torture. These conditions have led to the deaths of at least 103 detainees, including five healthcare workers from Gaza. As Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of widespread destruction and critical shortages, Israel continues to detain its physicians without trial, in violation of international law.

Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.

It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release.

Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

Dr. Nahed Abu Teima, the head of surgery at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024 from Nasser Hospital while p...
08/06/2026

Dr. Nahed Abu Teima, the head of surgery at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024 from Nasser Hospital while performing his medical duties. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings.

During a conversation with him, Dr. Abu Teima mentioned that although he - and others - would constantly seek doctors or even medics for medical attention, it was rarely delivered. He mentioned that they are not provided with hygiene products such as nail and hair clippers, nor cleaning products. He added that two years into his detention he was taken for an interrogation that lasted a total of one hour on a span of three days, was informed there were still no charges against him, yet his detention was still extended.

Dr. Abu Teima is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect.

Over the past two years, detained healthcare workers have reported enduring severe prison conditions, including starvation, medical neglect, violence, and torture. These conditions have led to the deaths of at least 103 detainees, including five healthcare workers from Gaza. As Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of widespread destruction and critical shortages, Israel continues to detain its physicians without trial, in violation of international law.

Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work.

It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release.

Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

Last week, after two and a half years of ongoing delay by both the state and Israel’s Supreme Court, the High Court of J...
08/06/2026

Last week, after two and a half years of ongoing delay by both the state and Israel’s Supreme Court, the High Court of Justice accepted the joint petition we filed, led by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and joined by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, and Gisha. The Court ordered the Israeli prison authorities to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) full access to detainees and prisoners, access to information regarding them, and access to detention facilities, including private meetings with the detainees themselves.

We welcome this important decision, even though it comes after an unacceptable delay. Visits by the ICRC to places of detention are essential, and preventing them constitutes an ongoing violation that should have ended long ago. Such visits are critical not only for ensuring independent and reliable monitoring, but also for preventing torture, abuse, and life-threatening medical neglect.

Under the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC has a legal mandate to visit prisoners of war and other detainees in order to assess detention conditions and ensure humane treatment. Today, more than 9,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli detention facilities. Approximately half of them are held without charge and without fair legal proceedings. As we have repeatedly documented, thousands of these detainees are being held under horrific conditions characterized by systematic torture, starvation, and denial of medical care as a matter of declared policy. The denial of ICRC access has contributed to an environment in which widespread and systematic abuse and mistreatment have flourished.

We call on the Israeli authorities to implement the Court’s ruling promptly and without further delay.

Address

9 Dror Street
Jaffa-Tel Aviv
68135

Telephone

+97235133100

Website

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