Demand Washington D.C. Advocate for Release of Imprisoned Doctors
The Issue
As doctors, we never consider who deserves care before we act. Our oath compels us to protect life without discrimination. Yet today, we face a grave injustice that demands our voice. Incredibly, 18 of our colleagues remain imprisoned without charge, without trial, and without the slightest semblance of justice. These doctors include pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, and obstetricians who have been taken from their vital work within hospitals in Gaza. Shockingly, two of them were murdered in custody, with their bodies yet to be returned to their families.
Some of these professionals have been detained for over 887 days, entrapped in a system where administrative detention permits indefinite imprisonment without formal charges. Recently, lawyers visiting four of these doctors uncovered harrowing conditions: severe malnutrition, untreated illnesses like scabies, and nightmarish overcrowding. Detention hearings occur so briefly and without justice that one must question the transparency of the process. In a heartbreaking revelation, one doctor has lost 77 pounds in just two years due to the ghastly circumstances.
The plight of the Gaza 18 is not just an isolated tragedy; it is a dire warning of what occurs when those devoted to saving lives are stripped of their own humanity and freedom. Detaining doctors amidst the destruction of Gaza’s health system is not merely an attack on individuals but an assault on the right to health for an entire population. When hospitals become targets and doctors are whisked away to unknown fates for fulfilling their duty, outrage must echo globally.
In Washington D.C., we stand at a unique intersection of power and action. As healthcare workers, we refuse to normalize this injustice. Our silence in this critical moment would be nothing short of complicity. We urge our leaders to advocate vehemently for the immediate release of the Gaza 18 and all detained healthcare workers. We implore Washington D.C. to spearhead an international call for justice—because healthcare workers are not targets, and healing should never be a crime.
Join us in demanding that D.C. takes urgent action. Stand with us, and sign this petition to ensure that freedom and justice prevail for these courageous individuals. Together, we can make a difference. Please sign and share this petition widely.
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The Issue
As doctors, we never consider who deserves care before we act. Our oath compels us to protect life without discrimination. Yet today, we face a grave injustice that demands our voice. Incredibly, 18 of our colleagues remain imprisoned without charge, without trial, and without the slightest semblance of justice. These doctors include pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, and obstetricians who have been taken from their vital work within hospitals in Gaza. Shockingly, two of them were murdered in custody, with their bodies yet to be returned to their families.
Some of these professionals have been detained for over 887 days, entrapped in a system where administrative detention permits indefinite imprisonment without formal charges. Recently, lawyers visiting four of these doctors uncovered harrowing conditions: severe malnutrition, untreated illnesses like scabies, and nightmarish overcrowding. Detention hearings occur so briefly and without justice that one must question the transparency of the process. In a heartbreaking revelation, one doctor has lost 77 pounds in just two years due to the ghastly circumstances.
The plight of the Gaza 18 is not just an isolated tragedy; it is a dire warning of what occurs when those devoted to saving lives are stripped of their own humanity and freedom. Detaining doctors amidst the destruction of Gaza’s health system is not merely an attack on individuals but an assault on the right to health for an entire population. When hospitals become targets and doctors are whisked away to unknown fates for fulfilling their duty, outrage must echo globally.
In Washington D.C., we stand at a unique intersection of power and action. As healthcare workers, we refuse to normalize this injustice. Our silence in this critical moment would be nothing short of complicity. We urge our leaders to advocate vehemently for the immediate release of the Gaza 18 and all detained healthcare workers. We implore Washington D.C. to spearhead an international call for justice—because healthcare workers are not targets, and healing should never be a crime.
Join us in demanding that D.C. takes urgent action. Stand with us, and sign this petition to ensure that freedom and justice prevail for these courageous individuals. Together, we can make a difference. Please sign and share this petition widely.
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Petition created on June 23, 2026