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Abu Safiya isolated in Israel
Physicians for Human Rights said Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya was moved to solitary confinement at Ganot Prison after being held in Israeli custody since December 2024.
“moved to solitary confinement at Ganot Prison”
i24NEWS reported that PHRI said the information was relayed after a visit by the organization’s lawyers to Ketziot Prison on June 4, when security forces entered a unit a few days earlier to take Abu Safiya to an unknown destination.
The same report said Israeli prison authorities had not responded to requests for comment about the conditions of his confinement.
Arab News PK said Abu Safiya, who became the face of health workers during an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, has not been charged and that the Israeli military said he was being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas.
Lawyer describes abuse
Arab News PK quoted Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, saying Abu Safiya appeared extremely weak and struggled to sit upright during a visit on July 2, with Odeh describing head injuries around his eyes, ears and neck and difficulty breathing.
The National reported that Odeh warned, "His physical and psychological state, the severe injuries visible on his body, and his personal testimony leave no room for doubt: his life is in immediate danger," after visiting Abu Safiya at the underground Nitzan prison.
Arab News PK said the Israel Prison Service called the allegations "false and entirely without factual basis" and said it would not discuss the case directly citing privacy concerns.
The National added that Odeh said Abu Safiya was subjected to daily beating and denied medical treatment since his transfer to Nitzan prison on June 24, and that Abu Safiya told him, "This is the last time you will see me … they brought me here to kill me."
Calls for release and intervention
Physicians for Human Rights Israel renewed its call for Abu Safiya’s immediate release and for an urgent judicial visit to assess his condition "before it’s too late," after Odeh documented severe injuries, breathing difficulties, and repeated episodes of loss of consciousness during a July 2 visit.
“before it’s too late”
WAFA said Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at the organization, described the lawyer’s testimony as among the most disturbing since the war began and said Abu Safiya feared he would be killed while in custody.
Haaretz said several members of the governing Labour Party in the U.K. Parliament called on Sunday for their government to demand that Israel release Abu Safiya, who has been imprisoned by Israel since 2024 and is, according to his lawyer, in life-threatening condition.
Arab News PK said the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society expressed concern over Abu Safiya’s detention conditions and called on international human rights organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN to intervene urgently to ensure protection and secure his release.
