Uncertainty grows regarding the status of Palestinian medical workers in Israel following incidents

President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with the family of an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officer, who was born in South Africa, has caused widespread public outcry. The family approached Ramaphosa requesting assistance in recovering the remains of their soldier, Daniel Perez, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade, 77th Battalion, from Yad Binyamin.

Many believe that the president found himself in a difficult position. Regardless, it is noted that Ramaphosa should pay close attention to the Palestinian genocide, which aligns with the historical case South Africa presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023 on behalf of conscience communities.

Civil society activists opposed this meeting, arguing that it undermines South Africa's stance in supporting the right of Palestinians to resist oppression. Daniel Perez's father is also the head of the World Zionist Organization, turning this act not merely into one of compassion, but into a tool of propaganda.

According to an article published in the South African Jewish Report (SAJR) on August 13, Nicola Milts, under the headline 'Father to Father – Ramaphosa Helps President of World Zionist Organization,' details President Ramaphosa's personal involvement in the return of Captain Daniel Perez's body from Gaza. Milts describes this as 'an exceptional intervention that broke the bitter rift between South Africa and Israel.'

The article also points out that Rabbi Perez, also born in South Africa, holds the position of president of the World Zionist Organization and executive chairman of the World Mizrachi movement. Anti-racist activists demand that South Africa support its historical case before the ICJ, where it accused Israel of genocide, through concrete short-term and medium-term measures before a ruling is issued.

The genocide in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 73,000 Palestinians and injuries to more than 174,000 people since October 2023. Hundreds of thousands remain buried because the ongoing, albeit slow, Israeli blockade of Gaza lacks the equipment to locate bodies. The war has destroyed 90% of the Sector's infrastructure. Nothing was spared: places of worship, education, and healing were in the zone of destructive planning.

At first glance, this meeting also ignores South Africa's long-established laws regarding foreign mercenaries. The Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act (RFMAA) governs the activities of mercenaries and prohibits citizens or permanent residents from joining any foreign army in foreign conflicts without prior approval from the National Committee for Conventional Arms Control (NCACC).

Civil society groups, especially those belonging to the BDS movement, such as the Palestine Solidarity Alliance, question whether Ramaphosa will have the resolve to support Palestinians who are not just alive and displaced, but also dead: those who were destroyed during the genocide and lie under rubble.

Several days ago, the newspaper Haaretz reminded the world that Israel still holds about 1,700 Palestinian bodies in its morgues, denying their families a dignified burial or closure to the case, which the Perez family will now receive. The newspaper reported that Israel retains these bodies even though Hamas does not hold Israeli hostages—a violation of international law that accompanied Palestinians even to their graves.

Haaretz reports that Shin Bet chief David Zini supports retaining the bodies in case Israelis are captured or go missing in the future—this is the dominant position in the army, which has already been accused of committing genocide. The report suggests that most deceased Gazans died during the October 7, 2023 attack or subsequent wars in Gaza; however, the author's own research suggests that this practice has a longer history.

These actions are illegal, and the author believes that the strategy of meeting with Ramaphosa—whether intentional or not—serves to weaken the campaign of Palestinian groups seeking justice for their dead.

On August 13, 2026, two Palestinian organizations—the Palestinian Prisoners Club and the National Campaign for the Return of Martyrs' Bodies—published a joint statement following the Haaretz report, confirming that Israel holds the bodies of 1,700 Palestinians, including in so-called 'number cemeteries' and in morgues.

They labeled this policy illegal, immoral, and a violation of international human rights law—a systematic form of collective punishment amidst low-intensity genocide that has now spread to the West Bank. The figure initially reported by Haaretz includes bodies located both in morgues and in 'number cemeteries.'

The campaign acknowledges that although some bodies have been returned, particularly in October 2025, the number of held bodies continues to grow due to ongoing killings and enforced disappearances, especially in Gaza. The groups state that this practice has lasted for over five decades but has reached an unprecedented level. Killings have not ceased since the entry into the truce on October 10, 2025: according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel has killed at least 1,258 Palestinians and injured 4,139 others since then.

The National Campaign documented 800 bodies in morgues and cemeteries, including 99 detainees, 83 children, and 10 women. On February 4 in Gaza, 930 bodies were returned, some extracted from cemeteries and Al-Shifa Hospital, as well as 66 crates of human remains. The organizations call for urgent international action to ensure the return of bodies and bring perpetrators to justice.

They all only want to bury their loved ones with dignity, as will happen with the Perez family. This is not the case of one influential family seeking solace, but of thousands of mourners without end. The time will come, the people will come—South Africans must meet this challenge.

Recently, politician Gadi Eisenkot became another representative of Israeli politics who stated his intention to form a government with a 'Zionist majority' if he becomes Prime Minister of Israel. This phrase is widely interpreted as a refusal to form a coalition with Palestinian Arab parties with the aim of overthrowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Eisenkot, a former general and leader of the Yishar party, announced at a security conference organized by Yedioth Ahronoth and the Institute for National Security Studies that he prefers to achieve a Zionist majority of 63–64 seats; otherwise, he will call on ultra-Orthodox parties to understand the seriousness of the moment. He added that if they do not do so, it is better to hold new elections.

His statements reflect a broader trend. Leaders in the anti-Netanyahu camp, including Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, are increasingly excluding the possibility of forming a government that depends on Palestinian Arab parties, including 'Raham,' whose leader is Mansour Abbas, who has repeatedly stated his readiness to negotiate with parties of the Jewish majority.

This shift is quite noticeable. Bennett and Lapid previously defended their partnership with Abbas in the 2021 coalition as a necessary political experiment that allowed them to overthrow Netanyahu's 12-year rule. However, the current situation in Israel after October 7th has made such cooperation politically burdensome.

Palestinian political analyst Ehab Jabarin told Middle East Eye that this is primarily a consequence of the change in public opinion in Israel after October 7th. He noted that any partnership with a Palestinian Arab party now appears in elections as a concession on issues of security and identity, and even centrist parties fear being portrayed as dependent on those who reject the Jewish character of the state.

The elections scheduled for October 27th are considered key to Israel's political future. According to polls, the block led by Eisenkot is on par with the Netanyahu bloc. Some studies suggest that Eisenkot may gain enough seats to govern without the participation of Palestinian Arab parties, while others indicate that neither bloc is likely to secure a parliamentary majority without their support.

Dr. Mazen Rantisi, a 71-year-old Palestinian doctor known as the 'doctor for the poor,' stated that since his detention by Israeli authorities over a month ago, he has faced physical violence and medical neglect, according to Haaretz newspaper on Sunday.

This doctor, who often refused payment for services, provided medicine, and managed a clinic that served as a refuge for low-income Palestinians, was detained during a dawn raid on his home in Ramallah, in occupied West Bank, on June 21. Prosecutors later charged him with chairing the board of the Union of Health Committees, a Palestinian non-profit organization that provides medical care to thousands of Palestinians annually.

According to the report, Rantisi told an attorney from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel that the prison authorities at Ofer Prison did not provide him with regular medication for the first ten days and are still refusing him one of the drugs.

His requests for a doctor's visit went unanswered, and a healthcare worker checked his pulse only once through a small opening in the cell door. Rantisi also reported physical violence, noting that prison units raided his cell several times a week and beat the inmates.

Rantisi added: 'Young inmates surround me to protect me, taking blows themselves,' and mentioned that during one of the raids, guards sprayed tear gas in the cell, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Saja Mishkari-Baransa, the first lawyer to see Rantisi personally after his arrest, reported that the doctor is rapidly losing weight due to tiny portions of food, which he described as unfit for human consumption, including moldy bread, almost rotten tomatoes, raw hummus, and foul-smelling rice.

He also recounted that there are ten inmates in his six-person cell, with four taking turns sleeping on mattresses on the floor. The inmates do not receive cleaning supplies and share one bar of soap for washing themselves and their clothes, while the wet mattresses are covered in mold, and the hot cell is infested with pests.

The Israeli Prison Service rejected the doctor's testimony, stating that all inmates are housed in accordance with the law, as indicated in the Haaretz report. Nevertheless, the doctor's account resonates with testimonies from other Palestinian prisoners.

A report by the State Attorney's Office, published on July 1 last year, mentioned 'significant deterioration of conditions in Israeli prisons' and 'unprecedented violation of the rights of prisoners and detainees.'