25/06/2026 22:31 - Internacionales
On Sunday, June 21, 2026, Israeli forces arrested Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, a 71-year-old Palestinian physician widely known as the "doctor of the poor" for decades of providing free medical care to low-income patients in the occupied West Bank.
The arrest took place at his home in the al-Tira neighborhood of Ramallah—the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority—before dawn. He was subsequently transferred to the police station in the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, where he remains under interrogation by the Special Investigations Unit.
The organization he leads was declared an "illicit association" by the Israeli military in 2020, under emergency regulations dating back to the British Mandate era (pre-1948). In 2022, Israeli forces closed its headquarters in Al-Bireh, a city adjacent to Ramallah.
However, the organization remains legally registered with the Interior Ministry of the Palestinian Authority.
News of the arrest spread rapidly throughout the West Bank, generating a wave of support on social media. Former patients, activists, and local leaders described the physician as a figure whose work transcended medicine.
"The arrest of Dr. Al-Rantisi is another alarming escalation in Israeli repression against Palestinian civil society. By detaining a respected physician and leader of a prominent health organization, Israeli authorities are blurring the line between legitimate security measures and the criminalization of essential civilian and humanitarian work."
PHRI warned that Dr. Al-Rantisi's clinic in Ramallah serves hundreds of patients and that his detention will disrupt healthcare access for those who depend on him.
The West Bank is a landlocked territory bordering Jordan and Israel, occupied by Israel since 1967. Approximately 3 million Palestinians live there under Israeli military rule, with limited self-governance in certain areas. Ramallah serves as the administrative center of the Palestinian Authority.
| Total detainees: | 9,446 |
| Administrative detention: | 4,691 |
| Held without charge, trial, or ability to defend themselves | |
| Palestinians killed: | at least 1,100 |
| Minors among victims: | at least 25% |
| No perpetrators have been prosecuted | |
14 doctors from Gaza remain in Israeli detention without formal charges, according to reports. Some have denounced being subjected to torture, beatings, and sexual violence during their captivity.
In early June 2026, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Gaza physician detained since late 2024, was transferred without explanation to solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison, after more than 500 days without formal charges.
When consulted by The Guardian, the Israeli military referred inquiries to the Israel Prison Service. The Prison Service, in turn, referred questions back to the military. Neither entity has provided information on the reasons for the detention or the current whereabouts of Dr. Al-Rantisi.
Source: The Guardian | Additional information: B'Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, United Nations
Alfredo S. Quiroga
