Four prominent human rights organisations are calling on all the parties in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations “to secure the release” of hundreds of essential healthcare workers from the enclave who have been unlawfully detained by the Israeli military, Al Jazeera reports.

In a joint statement, Children Not Numbers, Human Rights Watch, MedGlobal and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said these detentions have “ devastated Gaza’s already decimated healthcare system“ and said their release is both a humanitarian necessity and a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.

They also noted that releasing the health workers is “crucial to saving lives and sustaining essential medical services” in Gaza, where “the remaining staff are overwhelmed by more than 110,000 wounded civilians”.

“Gaza’s irreplaceable health workers — surgeons, pediatricians, gynecologists, obstetricians, orthopedists, and emergency responders — are vital for saving lives and sustaining essential medical services,” they said.