In a coordinated security operation on Sunday, Israeli forces executed a pre-dawn raid in the Ramallah neighborhood of al-Tira, detaining 71-year-old physician Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi. Al-Rantisi was subsequently transferred to the police station in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, where he is currently undergoing questioning by the Special Investigations Unit. The operation was conducted as part of ongoing efforts to enforce security regulations and monitor the activities of organizations designated as illegal by the state.

Al-Rantisi's detention is understood to be directly linked to his administrative role as the chairperson of the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC). While supporters emphasize his work as a local physician, security agencies have long scrutinized the UHWC. Established in 1985, the organization has historically operated clinics across the West Bank, particularly in rural areas, maintaining a large operational footprint that has raised security concerns regarding its funding, messaging, and organizational networks.

In 2020, the Israeli military officially designated the UHWC as an "unlawful association," utilizing emergency security regulations inherited from the 1945 British Mandate. This legal classification authorizes the state to halt the operations of groups deemed detrimental to public order and national security. Following this designation, security forces shut down the organization's headquarters in Al-Bireh in 2022. However, the group has continued to operate, relying on its registration with the Palestinian Authority's interior ministry to claim administrative legitimacy.

The enforcement of these security decrees has drawn criticism from local activists and international non-governmental organizations. Following news of the arrest, an online campaign under the hashtag #FreedomForDrMazenAlRantisi was launched, seeking to highlight his charitable work. Activists and former patients have emphasized his history of providing low-cost or free medical services, attempting to frame the security action as an interference with basic medical care.

In response to the operation, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) issued a statement expressing concern over the potential disruption of local health services. Naji Abbas, representing PHRI's Prisoners and Detainees department, argued that the detention of a medical official undermines civil institutions. PHRI maintained that the arrest would impact the patients utilizing Al-Rantisi's Ramallah clinic, characterizing the state's security actions as an overreach into the humanitarian sector.