A group of healthcare professionals in Türkiye has issued an open letter calling on journalists covering the NATO Summit to raise questions about the protection of healthcare workers in armed conflicts and the detention of Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.

The letter, signed by Standing Doctors Against Oppression – Türkiye, urges members of the international press to highlight a humanitarian crisis involving alleged violations of international humanitarian law and the principle of medical neutrality.

Dr. Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital and a pediatrician in Gaza, was detained by Israeli forces on Dec. 27, 2024, after reportedly refusing to leave his patients. The group states that he has remained in detention for more than 18 months without formal charges under Israel's Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law.

The organization cited reports by United Nations experts and international human rights groups alleging that Abu Safiya has been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, physical abuse, and inadequate access to medical care while in detention. It said these reports have raised concerns about his health and well-being.

The letter argues that the targeting of healthcare workers extends beyond individual cases, warning that attacks on medical personnel and facilities undermine healthcare systems and leave civilians, particularly children and vulnerable patients, without essential medical services.

Emphasizing that international humanitarian law provides special protection to healthcare workers and medical facilities during armed conflicts, the organization called on journalists to place the issue on the agenda as world leaders gather in Ankara for the NATO Summit.

"We are not asking you to adopt a political position," the letter states. "Rather, we appeal to your professional responsibility as journalists to bring this humanitarian crisis into the public eye."

The group encouraged journalists to ask NATO leaders what concrete measures are being taken to protect healthcare workers in conflict zones, ensure accountability for attacks on medical personnel and facilities, and pursue diplomatic efforts to assess the legal status of detained healthcare workers, including Dr. Abu Safiya, under international law and seek their release.

The organization concluded by saying that such questions are essential not only for the rights and freedom of detained healthcare workers but also for safeguarding international humanitarian law, the principle of medical neutrality, and the protection of civilians in conflict zones. (ILKHA)