Who are the 95 Palestinian healthcare workers held captive by Israel?

More doctors and healthcare professionals are mobilising and calling for action to demand the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safia and at least 94 other Palestinian medics currently held captive by Israeli authorities. On Monday, in an event organised by Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW) and Amnesty International UK, doctors and healthcare workers protested outside St Thomas’ Hospital in central London, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all the detained healthcare workers currently held in appalling conditions in Israel. The protest comes just days after an Israeli court extended Abu Safia’s arbitrary detention for another six months. ... At least 1,722 healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli strikes in the past two years. According to HWW, most healthcare workers were abducted by the Israeli military from their hospitals or ambulances while they were on duty. ... Dr Rebecca Inglis, of HWW, says: “Israel’s continued detention of nearly one hundred healthcare workers is in clear contravention of International Humanitarian Law. We are gravely concerned for their welfare given the extensive evidence that Palestinian detainees are being tortured while in Israeli detention.” ... At least 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with many no longer operational. In addition to this, skilled doctors and healthcare workers have been killed, and paired with the detention of healthcare workers – most of whom were detained while working within hospitals and healthcare facilities – it has added to the immense pressure on Gaza’s vulnerable health system. Between October 7, 2023, to October 20, 2025, HWW documented a total of 431 cases of detained Palestinian healthcare workers. As of October 20, 2025: - 309 of the 431 detained healthcare workers are now confirmed to have been released; of which 67 were released as part of the latest exchange deal on October 13 - Five healthcare workers are still missing (three senior physicians, an UNRWA pharmacist and a senior physiotherapist) - Five HCWs have reportedly been killed or died in Israeli detention, however, their bodies have not been returned to their families. ... The healthcare professionals still detained by Israel have spent an average of 511 days in detention, with some held captive since the early weeks of the war. Of the 95 being held, 80 are from Gaza, while the remaining 15 are from the occupied West Bank. From Gaza alone, 31 nurses have been detained, followed by 17 physicians, 15 hospital support and management staff, 14 paramedics, two pharmacists and one medical technician. Twenty-five held senior positions, 50 occupied mid-level positions, while five were junior healthcare workers. ...