Gaza: MSF calls for safety and information on missing doctor

October 31, 2024— Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has received confirmation that Dr. Mohammed Obeid, an MSF orthopedic surgeon, has been detained by Israeli forces along with several medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza during a military operation at the hospital on October 26. We are extremely alarmed by the detention of our colleague, and we call for his safety and protection, as well as for the safety and protection of all Palestinian medical staff who face horrific violence while trying to provide care in Gaza.

We have officially requested information from the Israeli authorities on Dr. Obeid’s detention status, his current location, and any information regarding his physical and mental well-being. 

Since the escalation of war more than a year ago, Israeli forces have systematically bombed and raided our hospitals, attacked our convoys, detained our staff, and bulldozed our vehicles. More than 1,000 health workers have been killed in the past year, including eight associated with MSF. MSF has had to flee 14 different health structures since the start of the war.