News summary produced by Claude AI
Dr. Hassan Khalil Almukayed, a vascular surgeon at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, has been held in Israeli detention for approximately 21 months without formal charges. He was arrested in October 2024 after Israeli military forces stormed the hospital where he was treating patients, including newborn infants. According to his wife Nadia Almukayed, Israeli soldiers had promised the medical staff they would not be harmed or arrested before ordering them back to their departments, a commitment that was not upheld.
Almukayed is among at least 15 Palestinian doctors currently detained by Israel, held under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which permits indefinite detention without trial. He was initially held at Sde Teiman detention camp for seven months before being transferred to Ktziot, also known as Negev Prison. His brother Mahmoud, a nurse at the same hospital, was detained alongside him but was released during an October 2025 prisoner exchange. Mahmoud has described Israeli prison conditions as “a life of hell,” while Hassan remains imprisoned.
According to his legal representatives and family accounts, Almukayed faces severe hardship in detention. He reportedly has diabetes and high blood pressure but has been periodically denied his medications. Witnesses report he has suffered from untreated skin conditions, inadequate food rations, and sleep deprivation due to constant lighting in his cell. His family states he has lost approximately 40 kilograms during his imprisonment. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel reports that detained healthcare workers face regular physical violence from prison guards.
Almukayed’s family has experienced significant tragedy during his detention. His father, Khalil Almukayed, was also briefly detained and subsequently released but died a few months later in what relatives describe as grief over his sons’ situations. His wife has not informed Hassan of his father’s death due to concerns about his wellbeing. Nadia Almukayed and their three children now live in a tent in al-Mawasi after their home in Jabalia was destroyed. She works as a mathematics teacher to support the family while managing the psychological strain of their circumstances.
Before his arrest, Almukayed was widely respected in his community as a dedicated physician who provided free medical care to residents of Jabalia camp, where he was born in 1972. He had studied medicine in Romania, practiced in Sweden, and returned to Gaza in 2010 to care for aging parents. Legal advocates argue his continued detention represents part of a systemic effort to target Gaza’s medical infrastructure and healthcare workers, with over 350 healthcare workers detained during the conflict and approximately 55 still held.