Gaza Herald —International medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has issued an urgent demand for the immediate, unconditional release of Dr. Mohammad Obeid, a senior orthopedic surgeon who has remained held without charge in Israeli detention facilities since October 26, 2024.
Dr. Obeid was seized by Israeli occupation forces while performing life-saving surgical operations inside Kamal Adwan Hospital during a military siege on northern Gaza. Held in harsh conditions for over two years without family contact, his sole connection to the outside world remains restricted to brief, sporadic visits by legal counsel.
Arbitrary Detention of Healthcare Personnel Disrupts Enclave Surgical Capacity
MSF expressed grave concern for Dr. Obeid’s physical safety and psychological well-being, emphasizing that before his abduction, he was one of the last remaining specialized orthopedic surgeons providing continuous care across northern Gaza’s besieged medical network.
Operating under extreme supply blockades, power blackouts, and direct military bombardment, Dr. Obeid successfully performed thousands of complex surgeries and amputations across multiple hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Under international humanitarian law, medical personnel are explicitly protected civilian assets who must never be targeted, detained, or punished for fulfilling their clinical duties.
Severe Shortage of Specialized Doctors Threatens Thousands of Gaza Amputees
The prolonged detention of Dr. Obeid forms part of a systematic campaign by Israeli forces to arbitrarily detain dozens of Palestinian healthcare workers, doctors, and hospital administrators across the enclave. MSF highlighted the severe impact of these detentions on Gaza’s collapsing health sector, noting an acute scarcity of specialized surgeons and pediatricians to treat continuous traumatic injuries.
Across the Strip, approximately 6,000 Palestinian patients who have undergone amputations require immediate, specialized surgical care and long-term physical rehabilitation.
MSF reiterated its call for the immediate release of Dr. Obeid and all arbitrarily detained Palestinian health workers, demanding their safe return to their families and hospitals.
