Write to the Foreign Office in support of Palestinian health workers
Posted: 19th August 2026
Palestinian health workers provide essential care to their people against incredible odds but Israel cruelly targets them with arbitrary detention, violence and even killing.
Write to the Foreign Office in support of Palestinian health workers
In June of this year, Israeli armed forces arrested Dr. Mazen al-Rantisi from his home in Ramallah and he remains in prison still. His lawyer has warned that his health is declining rapidly because of the deplorable conditions in prison, including torture and medical neglect at the hand of the Israeli prison guards.
Dr. Rantisi’s decades-long legacy as a physician exemplifies the courageous service of Palestinian medical workers. Known as the ‘doctor of the poor’, he often waived fees for consultation and medicines for struggling families. Through his voluntary work with the Union of Health Work Committees, he provided medical care to thousands of Palestinians in need, especially in under-served areas of the West Bank that are especially vulnerable to settler attacks.
It is precisely that work that made him a target for Israel, joining the hundreds of other human rights defenders who have been targeted and imprisoned by Israel.
Dr. Rantisi’s story echoes that of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, who was imprisoned by Israel in December 2024 and has been held in inhumane conditions since then. These doctors, and hundreds if not thousands more Palestinian health workers have been targeted by Israel precisely because of the vital work they do to support their people’s health and survival in the face of apartheid and genocide.
Dr. Rantisi’s daughter said about his arrest: “The targeting of people who serve the community is part of trying to weaken the community, and I think that the reason my father was arrested is precisely that he is one of the people who inspire hope in society and help it stay resilient.” You can read more about his case including comments from his daughter here.
One way we can pay tribute to the inspirational Palestinian health workers like Dr. Rantisi is to press the British government to end its own complicity in genocide and apartheid. Please write to the Foreign Office today.
In solidarity,
Ryvka
Deputy Director, PSC