Open Letter to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani

The Italian Government Must Act to Secure the Release of the 14 Detained Palestinian Doctors

Rome, 28 July 2026

To the President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni
To the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani

Prime Minister Meloni, Minister Tajani,

Through this letter, Doctors for Human Rights – MEDU speaks on behalf of the more than seven thousand people who have signed the petition calling for the release of fourteen Palestinian doctors detained by Israel without formal charges and without trial. The appeal was addressed in particular to doctors, healthcare workers and all professionals engaged in the provision of care.

The petition has received broad support from the Italian healthcare community, both at the individual and institutional levels. It has been endorsed by the National Federation of the Orders of Physicians and Dentists – FNOMCeO, which represents approximately 470,000 professionals, together with provincial medical associations, scientific societies, healthcare organisations and other institutional bodies.

We are therefore not presenting a request from MEDU alone. We are giving voice to the profound concern expressed by thousands of citizens working in the caring professions.

Among the detained doctors is Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, paediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was arrested in December 2024 after continuing to provide care to the population of northern Gaza under extremely difficult conditions. Dr Abu Safiya has become a symbol of those healthcare professionals who continued to care for their patients even when carrying out their medical mission meant putting their own lives at risk.

Like him, the other thirteen doctors included in the appeal have been taken away from their families, their patients and an already severely compromised healthcare system, precisely at a time when their presence is most urgently needed.

Our colleagues at Physicians for Human Rights Israel – PHRI directly monitor the situation of detained Palestinian healthcare workers and provide us with updates on individual cases. The information gathered by PHRI concerning the duration and conditions of detention, difficulties in accessing legal assistance and testimonies of ill-treatment gives rise to deep concern and calls for urgent action by the international community.

The prolonged detention of these doctors does not affect only those who have been arrested and their families. It deprives an entire population of essential professionals and further aggravates the consequences of the destruction of healthcare facilities and the dramatic shortage of medical personnel.

We therefore call on the Italian Government to undertake concrete political and diplomatic initiatives and, in particular, to:

• formally approach the Israeli Government to request the immediate release of the fourteen Palestinian doctors named in the appeal;
• request complete and verifiable information concerning their place and conditions of detention, their state of health and whether any charges have been formally brought against them;
• urge that, pending their release, all detainees be granted effective access to legal counsel, their families, independent medical care and the relevant international bodies;
• promote a coordinated initiative at European level for the release of healthcare workers detained without charge and for the effective protection of the medical mission;
• make public the initiatives undertaken by Italy and the outcomes of diplomatic discussions;
• receive a delegation from MEDU and representatives of the medical and healthcare community supporting the appeal.

The protection of healthcare personnel cannot depend on the nationality of doctors or on the place where they carry out their profession. Caring for the sick, assisting the wounded and remaining beside one’s patients must never become grounds for arrest, violence or persecution.

On behalf of the more than seven thousand people who have signed the petition and the many healthcare organisations and institutions that have endorsed it, we call on the Italian Government to use all the political and diplomatic means at its disposal to secure the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and the other thirteen detained Palestinian doctors.

Providing care is not a crime.
The protection of the medical mission is non-negotiable.

MEDU remains available to meet with the Government in order to present the petition, the documentation concerning the fourteen doctors and the information gathered with the contribution of our colleagues at Physicians for Human Rights Israel.

We look forward to your response and, trusting that the Italian Government will take concrete action, we remain

Yours sincerely,

Marco Zanchetta
President
Doctors for Human Rights – MEDU

Alberto Barbieri
General Coordinator
Doctors for Human Rights – MEDU