Israeli Forces Arrest 71-Year-Old Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi in West Bank Raid
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 25
Israeli Forces Arrest 71-Year-Old Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi in West Bank Raid
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 25
Summary
Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, a 71-year-old Palestinian physician known as the “doctor of the poor,” was seized before dawn at his Ramallah home and taken to a police station in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Israeli authorities have not given a reason or disclosed where he is being held, though Haaretz said the detention is believed tied to his role leading the Union of Health Work Committees.
The health group, founded in 1985 and serving thousands of patients, was declared an “unlawful association” by the Israeli military in 2020 and had its Al-Bireh headquarters shut two years later.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel said Al-Rantisi’s arrest disrupts care for hundreds of patients and reflects a wider crackdown on Palestinian civil society, as supporters launched a #FreedomForDrMazenAlRantisi campaign.
The detention comes amid broader concern over Palestinian prisoners: B’Tselem says 9,446 Palestinians were in Israeli prisons as of March 2026, including 4,691 held without charge under administrative detention.
With doctors alleging systematic torture in detention, what accountability exists for their treatment under international law?
As Israel tightens its legal grip on aid groups, is a total collapse of humanitarian access in Palestine inevitable?
When humanitarian work is labeled 'terrorism,' what protections remain for doctors and aid workers in conflict zones?
The Arrest of Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi and One-Year Closure of HWC: Impact on Palestinian Healthcare and Civil Society, June 2026
Overview
On June 21, 2026, Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, a respected Palestinian doctor known as the 'Doctor of the Poor,' was arrested from his home in Ramallah by Israeli Border Police, with his family left uninformed about the reasons. On the same day, Israeli forces raided and ordered the closure of the Health Work Committees (HWC), a major non-profit healthcare provider he chaired, for one year. As of June 25, authorities had not disclosed Dr. Al-Rantisi’s whereabouts or charges. These coordinated actions have disrupted essential healthcare services for vulnerable Palestinians and sparked widespread concern and condemnation from both local and international communities.