Detained following a siege on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in December, Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture, solitary confinement and denial of adequate medical care.
The director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, detained by Israel since December, is being held in “inhumane” conditions and enduring “physical and psychological intimidation”, his lawyer told AFP.
“He is suffering greatly, he is exhausted from the torture, the pressure and the humiliation he has endured to force him to confess to acts he did not commit,” Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Ghaid Qassem, said.
Qassem last visited the doctor on March 19 in Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank.
Notorious Sde Teiman
Detained following a siege on the northern Gaza hospital, Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture, solitary confinement and denial of adequate medical care, as well as prolonged deprivation of access to legal counsel, according to the Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights.
He was initially held at the notorious Sde Teiman military base in the Naqab (Negev) desert before being transferred to Ofer.
The lawyer for imprisoned doctor Hussam Abu Safia: Dr. Abu Safia is suffering greatly in captivity and is severely exhausted as a result of torture, abuse, and the pressure and humiliation he has been subjected to to force him to confess to acts he did not commit. https://t.co/HEnF2vWrxV
— Ori Goldberg (@ori_goldberg) April 16, 2025
Qassem said that at Sde Teiman, Dr. Abu Safiay was subjected to interrogations “involving beatings, mistreatment and torture.” He was then transferred to “a cramped cell in Ofer for 25 days, where he was also subjected to questioning,” the report added.
She explained that the hospital director has been designated an “illegal combatant” for an “unlimited period of time.” In addition, his case “has been designated confidential by the military” which means his legal team cannot access the files, the report noted.
‘Worrying’ State of Health
The lawyer warned about the “worrying” condition of Dr. Abu Safiya’s health, saying he “is suffering from arterial tension, cardiac arrhythmia and vision problems.”
The doctor has also “lost 20 kilos in two months and fractured four ribs during interrogations, without receiving proper medical care”.
After more than 70 days in detention, lawyer Ghaida Qassem managed to visit Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya in Ofer Prison. During his imprisonment, he spent around 14 days in Sde Teiman, a facility notorious for its inhumane treatment of detainees. This marks only the second legal visit… pic.twitter.com/k92kIehl6w
— Translating Falasteen (Palestine) (@translatingpal) March 10, 2025
He “wonders what crime he has committed” to be subjected to “such inhumane conditions,” she emphasized.
The report added that, according to Qassem, the Israeli authorities are demanding that Dr. Abu Safiya “confess to having operated on members of Hamas” or Israeli captives held in Gaza, “but he has refused to do so and denies the accusations.”
Some 5,000 Palestinians from Gaza have been detained by Israel since October 7, 2023, the report said. Some have been released in exchange for Israeli captives.
Detention Order Upheld
Last month, an Israeli court upheld a detention order against Dr. Abu Safiya for another six months, alleging he posed a threat to the security of the state, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement.
Al Mezan pointed out that under the Unlawful Combatants Law, such detention orders must be reviewed by an Israeli civilian court within 45 days of issuance and subsequently every six months.
“This apartheid law is used by Israeli authorities to incarcerate Palestinian residents of Gaza, including Dr. Abu Safiya, without charge or fair trial, circumventing basic protections under international law,” the rights group stressed.
During the hearing, Al Mezan said, the Southern District Prosecutor “submitted a secret file to the court, alleging that Dr. Abu Safiya poses a threat to the security of the State of Israel”.
In response, Al Mezan’s legal team, representing Dr. Abu Safiya, asserted his innocence and emphasized that “he was solely performing medical and administrative duties” at the Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Call to International Community
The defense also requested access to the classified investigation materials. However, the prosecution declined, and the court upheld the refusal.
Al Mezan reiterated its urgent call to the international community, particularly Israel’s “allies,” to take immediate action to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya, as well as all Palestinians who have been unlawfully arrested and arbitrarily detained.
“We just want to provide humanitarian services.”- Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
Do not forget Dr Hussam. Keep speaking up and demanding his release, and also the release of all abducted Palestinians. #FreeDrHussamAbuSafiya #FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/X6hilIVt8B
— irish_hcworkers_for_palestine (@IrishhcwforPal) April 14, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) as well as international humanitarian organizations, including Amnesty International, have called for his immediate release.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
The Israeli Nazis are worse than the German Nazis ever were. A lot of the Holocaust stories were exaggerated, propaganda. The stories coming out of occupied Palestine reveal just how sick and twisted the Jews really are. Not all of them, but why do the others allow it? The small number of good Jews stand up to oppose the ZioNazi baby-killers but it’s not enough. Only they can end the slaughter, but they choose to stand by and wait as children are murdered in their name. ” Israel ” is full of cowards.
Please prove me wrong!
“Israel” is also full of monsters.