RAMALLAH — Israeli forces arrested Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, a 71-year-old physician, during a pre-dawn raid on his home in the al-Tira neighborhood of Ramallah on Sunday. He was subsequently taken to a police station situated in the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.

Dr. Al-Rantisi is believed to be under interrogation by the Special Investigations Unit. Israeli authorities have not disclosed the reason for his detention or his current location. Haaretz reported that the arrest is believed to be connected to Al-Rantisi's position as chair of the Union of Health Work Committees.

The Union of Health Work Committees is a Palestinian non-profit organization established in 1985. This organization operates clinics that serve thousands of patients annually, particularly in rural communities with limited access to healthcare. In 2020, the Israeli military declared the Union of Health Work Committees an "unlawful association" under emergency regulations that originated from the British Mandate for Palestine. In 2022, Israeli forces closed the headquarters of the Union of Health Work Committees in Al-Bireh.

The Union of Health Work Committees remains legally registered with the Palestinian Authority's interior ministry. Physicians for Human Rights Israel stated that Dr. Al-Rantisi's clinic in Ramallah serves hundreds of patients, and his detention will disrupt their access to medical care. The Israeli military referred inquiries about the arrest to the Israel Prison Service, while the Israel Prison Service referred questions back to the Israeli military.

Naji Abbas, the director of the Prisoners and Detainees department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel, stated, "The arrest of Dr Al-Rantisi is another alarming escalation in Israel's crackdown on Palestinian civil society." Abbas added, "By detaining a respected physician and the head of a leading Palestinian health organisation, the Israeli authorities are further blurring the line between legitimate security measures and the criminalisation of essential civil and humanitarian work."

Currently, 14 doctors from Gaza are reported to be in Israeli detention without charge. Palestinian doctors have made allegations of torture, beatings, and sexual violence while in Israeli detention. As of March 2026, 9,446 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons, with 4,691 of them under administrative detention, according to B'Tselem. Since 2020, United Nations data indicates that Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, with at least a quarter of these being children. No one has been charged in connection with these deaths.