Full story
Detention and health fears
Human rights groups and politicians raised alarms over the deteriorating health of Gazan hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, saying he was tortured, starved and beaten in Israeli detention and could be on the brink of death.
“On 27 December 2024, the Israeli military raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in Gaza”
Amnesty International said that on 27 December 2024 the Israeli military raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in Gaza and arbitrarily detained its director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, and that since 3 June he has been held in solitary confinement while continuing to be denied access to adequate healthcare.
Advocate Nasser Odeh visited Abu Safiya at the underground detention facility at Nitzan Prison in Ramla in central Israel and said, "Safiya was shackled, handcuffed and showing signs of severe injuries around his neck, eyes and head …"
Ofer Cassif, an Israeli Knesset member, said in a phone interview that "We haven’t heard anything for the last few days so nobody knows what his current condition is."
Israel disputes, lawyers press
As calls continued for disclosing Abu Safiya’s health status, Israel insisted it was denying information that confirms deterioration or that he is in a life-threatening condition.
Doctors for Human Rights in Israel, via its official account on X, said in a statement issued on July 8 that the response provided by Israeli authorities to the Supreme Court regarding its petition to release 14 doctors from Gaza raised "serious questions and doubts about Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya’s actual health status."
%2Ffile%2Fattachments%2F2994%2F12RC2EQJASJYM4_194915.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
Al Jazeera reported that Elias, the son of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, said his father appeared in court with his hands and feet bound, looking like a skeletal frame due to severe weight loss, with skin diseases and an injury to his eye.
Nasser Awwad, Abu Safiya’s lawyer, told Al Jazeera that he managed to visit Abu Safiya a few days ago and that the doctor was brought to the visiting room with his hands and feet bound, with clear signs of difficulty walking and moving.
London protest and wider stakes
In London, doctors, nurses and campaigners gathered outside the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) to demand action over the illegal detention of Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
“outside the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in London”
The protestors delivered a petition urging the college to publicly call for his immediate release alongside other Palestinian healthcare workers held in Israeli custody, and they said the silence from leading medical institutions risks normalizing attacks on healthcare workers and hospitals.
Leigh Evans, Nurse Organizers, said, "I want to live long enough to see Netanyahu before a criminal court," and she added that Abu Safiya has been "500 days" in isolation.
Al Jazeera also reported that pro-Palestine activists unfurled a giant Palestinian flag and a banner on London’s Tower Bridge, calling for the release of gravely-ill Gaza hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safia from Israeli detention and chanting in support of Gaza and the Palestinian medic held for more than 500 days.
