Waiting for Hassan : Another Gaza doctor held by Israel without charge

What Happened

Dr. Hassan Khalil Almukayed, a vascular surgeon at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been held by Israeli forces since October 25, 2024, without charge. He is among at least 15 Palestinian doctors detained from Gaza, according to figures cited by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI). His wife, Nadia Almukayed, recounted that he refused to evacuate the hospital, where they were trapped amid Israeli assaults. After Israeli tanks stormed Kamal Adwan in October 2024, soldiers ordered families to leave but assured doctors they would not be arrested—a promise she said was broken. Communication ceased the night after she departed with their three children. PHRI’s Naji Abbas stated Almukayed is held under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law, permitting indefinite detention without trial. He was first taken to Sde Teiman camp for seven months, then transferred to Ktziot/Negev Prison in June 2025, where most other detained doctors are held. His brother Mahmoud, a nurse arrested alongside him, was released in an October 2025 prisoner swap, and their father Khalil died after being briefly detained and released in poor condition. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory recently called for the immediate release of Kamal Adwan’s director, Hussam Abu Safia, who has been detained for over 18 months and reportedly shows signs of torture.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The prolonged detention without charge of medical workers like Almukayed highlights the collapse of healthcare protections in Gaza and raises urgent international humanitarian law concerns. Israel’s use of the Unlawful Combatants Law to hold doctors indefinitely without trial faces criticism from rights groups and UN bodies, potentially fueling legal challenges and diplomatic pressure. The cases of Almukayed and Abu Safia, with credible reports of abuse, intensify scrutiny on Israel’s detention practices and may influence ceasefire negotiations, prisoner exchanges, and international accountability mechanisms, including ongoing proceedings at the ICJ and ICC.

Watch For

Future rounds of prisoner exchanges under the Hamas-Israel ceasefire framework, which may secure Almukayed’s release; court petitions by PHRI challenging his detention; updates from UN or ICRC visits to detainees; medical status updates for Almukayed and Abu Safia given torture allegations; and statements from mediators (Qatar, Egypt, US) addressing detainee conditions as part of truce talks.