Israeli doctors must condemn the inhumane treatment of hospitalized Palestinian detainees

A Palestinian patient is handcuffed to his hospital bed, from one of the videos filmed by right-wing activists

Daniel Solomon writes in Haaretz on 23 February 2025:

While working as a physician in a public hospital, I witnessed a right-wing activist repeatedly force his way inside, live-streaming his actions. He bypassed security at the entrance, wandered through various departments, and entered rooms where Palestinian detainees were receiving care – all while urging “the people of Israel” to join him.

His videos were intended to rally public opposition to the hospitalization of detainees from Gaza, but they also inadvertently exposed the inhumane conditions of their medical care. Detainees are restrained by all four limbs – known as four-point restraint – and often blindfolded, sometimes for days or even weeks. Some are in critical condition, while others are recovering from surgery. Records from other hospitals indicate that this practice is widespread across the Israeli public health care system.

The use of four-point restraint on detainees has been previously documented in cases of force-feeding. In the U.S., the prison system allows such restraints only under the direct order of a senior officer and only in cases of immediate danger to staff.

Yet in Israel, the Health Ministry has mandated the blanket use of four-point restraint and blindfolding at the Sde Teiman military detention facility’s field hospital, for the entire duration of a detainee’s stay. Meanwhile, Israel Prison Service clinics have ordered the restraint of Palestinian prisoners during all medical treatments.

With no opposition raised, public hospitals have embraced the practices normalized by Sde Teiman and the prison service. For patients with complex medical conditions, blindfolding and extreme restraint not only degrade their dignity but also endanger their health. Beyond the profound psychological harm, prolonged and complete immobility can also lead to severe medical complications.

The issue of medical care for Palestinian detainees is often framed in the media as a moral dilemma. However, despite the emotional and logistical challenges, there is no real dilemma. Medical ethics provide a clear framework for physicians to guide their treatment, focusing on the patient rather than the illness. Both government bodies and human rights organizations have made clear that extreme restraint and blindfolding can amount to torture. The distinction between treatment and punishment must never be blurred.

Before October 7, there were still certain efforts to promote alternative approaches. Force-feeding, for example, has not been practiced in Israel for several years, largely due to opposition from medical staff and the Israel Medical Association. Two years ago, a group of physicians, hospital administrators, and IMA representatives highlighted the excessive use of restraints on hospitalized prisoners or those seeking medical care. They even proposed a plan to improve restraint conditions and stressed the need to identify viable alternatives.

Israel’s public hospitals and physicians are allowing hospitalization under inhumane conditions.

However, all this has now been pushed aside. In some cases, patient security concerns have made requesting any relaxation of the restrictive conditions challenging. But I believe there are other reasons why the issue is no longer being debated.

Despite the principles of medical neutrality, we are all inevitably influenced by the society we live in and often mirror its mindset. Some may support the Health Ministry’s guidelines, which, at the onset of the war, instructed hospitals not to admit Gazan detainees. Others have argued that detainee conditions should only be improved after all Israeli hostages are released.

The dehumanization of our patients has led to the belief that medical care is a privilege, not a fundamental human right – directly contradicting the Hippocratic Oath. The normalization of blatantly unethical medical practices is causing us to lose sight of our humanity.

Several of my colleagues share these concerns, but the number of requests from physicians to remove restraints or blindfolds during medical procedures has steadily declined, with prison service officers refusing most of them. I believe the reluctance to report incidents or take action on this issue also stems from the fear of facing individual repercussions. The calls for vengeance from “the people of Israel,” the Health Ministry’s endorsement of unethical treatment conditions, and the increasingly hostile public discourse all amplify these fears.

The medical community in Israel, led by the IMA, must take action. It must commit to ending the routine use of four-point restraints and blindfolds during the hospitalization of prisoners. The ethical and humanitarian responsibility of every staff member goes beyond merely providing medical care – they must also protect patients’ rights. Some may try to place the responsibility on the prison service or the military, but this is wrong. As healthcare professionals, we must ensure the dignity of every patient and safeguard them from harm. When we fail to do so, we bear equal responsibility with those who restrain and blindfold them.

Daniel Solomon is a doctor and board member at Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.

This article is reproduced in its entirety