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“Each of us, whether it is the medical personnel or you, the supervising authorities at the Health and Defense ministries, is implicated in breaching Israeli law. Even more concerning for me as a physician is the breach of my commitment to providing equal treatment to all patients—a vow I pledged to uphold upon graduating two decades ago.”
This conclusion was shared earlier this month by a physician working at the field hospital located within the Sde Teiman military facility. His testimony adds to the mounting evidence revealing the treatment and detention conditions of Gazans at the facility. Various reports and a UNWRA document compiling the testimonies of over 100 released detainees indicate that hundreds of individuals are being held in open-air pens, with their hands cuffed and eyes covered for the entire day, and are prohibited from moving or speaking; otherwise, they face severe punishment. According to all testimonies, these detainees regularly endure severe violence, leading to cases of fractures, internal bleeding, and even death.
Since the start of the current war and particularly following Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, thousands of Gazans, including minors, women, the elderly, and dozens of healthcare workers, have been detained. Many of them were apprehended from protected spaces such as hospitals and schools. So far, all efforts to locate or obtain information regarding their well-being and whereabouts have proven unsuccessful.
The evidence and information disclosed to the public confirm the findings outlined in the ethical position paper we are releasing today. Within it, we analyze data collected from released detainees, the (inadequate) responses offered by officials, discussions with healthcare professionals, and data concerning dozens of deaths in custody. We are issuing this report because, drawing upon the lessons learned from secret detention facilities like Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, it is crucial to prevent their continued operations and recognize the misconception that they can ever be “reformed.”
As you may recall, Israel’s Ministry of Health declared that detained Gazans would not be treated in public hospitals and would instead be transferred to medical facilities operated by the Israel Prison Service or the military- regardless of whether these facilities were equipped to provide adequate care. Subsequently, the ministry issued medical treatment guidelines, which, as our report concludes, violate medical ethics and disregard the fundamental principles of the healthcare professions. These guidelines were reinforced by medical professionals who supported the refusal to treat detained Gazans, even when they were brought in by the military. The report cautions that in light of the current circumstances at the facility, its medical personnel risk committing severe breaches of medical ethics.
The Ministry of Health’s guidelines for the Sde Teiman facility enable these violations by allowing the participation of medical personnel in actions that constitute inhumane treatment or torture. Considering the numerous testimonies from both detainees and medical staff regarding the conditions at the facility, we conclude that the Sde Teiman facility must be immediately shut down, and detained Gazans in need of medical care should be transferred to a civilian medical facility that upholds ethical and professional medical standards.
Over 1,300 medical professionals have already endorsed this ethical position paper. If you are a medical professional, we urge you to actively express your support by adding your signature to the petition.
The circumstances at Sde Teiman, particularly concerning the medical treatment provided there, reflect a moral and professional low point. We firmly believe every physician, healthcare worker, and organization representing the healthcare community has a responsibility to oppose its continued existence.
