As Israel’s genocide in Gaza marks 1,000 since it began on Oct. 8, 2023, the enclave’s health sector continues to bear the heaviest toll, with medical personnel facing persistent killings and arrests in what officials call a “health genocide.”
Official Palestinian data show that more than 1,700 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, and other medical staff, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023, while 362 others have been detained.
According to the latest figures released by Gaza’s Health Ministry on April 18, 2026, at least 83 healthcare workers remain in Israeli prisons. Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics also indicates that three doctors have died in Israeli detention since the war began.
No updated official figures are available on the number of wounded medical workers, despite reports of many being injured during strikes on hospitals, health centers, ambulances, homes, or while attempting to rescue wounded people.
The damage has extended beyond personnel. Official figures indicate that 162 health facilities and 197 ambulances have been targeted, while 96 health centers and 36 hospitals have gone out of service.
The continued depletion has pushed Gaza’s health system to the brink of collapse, as remaining doctors and nurses struggle to operate amid severe shortages of medicine, medical supplies, and specialized staff.
Data published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in May 2026 showed that the number of healthcare workers killed in Gaza exceeded 1,700 between October 2023 and October 2025.
According to the latest official tally released by Gaza’s Health Ministry in October 2025, at least 1,701 health sector workers had been killed, a figure that does not include at least five additional medical workers killed during 2026.
Anadolu documented five healthcare worker deaths since the start of 2026: Nurse Hatem Abu Saleh in January, paramedic Ibrahim Abu Saqr in April, physician Jamal Abu Aoun in May, nurse Mohammed al-Habil, and paramedic Maysara Salah al-Khawaja in June.
Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics also indicate that three doctors died in Israeli prisons since the war began, amid Palestinian and rights-group testimonies about torture, medical neglect, and poor detention conditions for imprisoned medical staff.
Many prominent healthcare workers have lost their lives since the genocide began:
On April 18, 2026, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 83 healthcare workers remained in Israeli custody out of 362 detained since the war began, while others were released at later stages.
Earlier data from Gaza’s Media Office showed detainees included 88 doctors, 132 nurses, 72 medical assistants, and 47 administrative employees working in health institutions.
On June 9, 2026, the ministry said the Israeli army detained seven paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society while they were passing through a military checkpoint on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza during a humanitarian mission.
The ministry said five crew members were later released after interrogation, while two remained detained. No updated official figure is available for the current total number of detained healthcare workers.
Prominent medical personnel still in detention include:
Abu Safiya was injured on Nov. 24, 2024, in an Israeli strike targeting the hospital but refused to leave, continuing to treat patients despite losing his son during an earlier Israeli raid on Oct. 26, 2024.
In February 2025, Israeli authorities designated Abu Safiya an “unlawful combatant,” amid reports of torture and medical neglect. The Prisoners Media Office announced on June 3, 2026, that he had been transferred to solitary confinement.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said al-Hams was shot in the foot during his arrest, and his current condition and place of detention remain unknown.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul
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