“Serious Concerns Are Mounting” Over His Life.
The director general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, called on Saturday for urgent action to save the life of detained Palestinian pediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya before it is too late. In a post on X, al-Boursh said serious concerns are mounting over the detained doctor’s life and health, pointing to reports that Abu Safiya has been assaulted inside an Israeli detention facility and has sustained injuries to his eye, head, and chest. He described the situation as a source of extreme alarm demanding urgent intervention rather than further statements, and held Israeli authorities fully responsible for the doctor’s life and safety, calling for an urgent, independent, and comprehensive medical examination to ensure he receives necessary treatment.
Held Without Charge Since a Hospital Raid, New Signs of Abuse.
Abu Safiya, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been held by Israel since December 27, 2024, without charge, under a law that permits indefinitely renewable detention of so-called unlawful combatants. He was detained while on duty after leading the hospital through an 85-day siege, refusing to leave his patients even as the facility came under repeated attack, before Israeli forces eventually raided it and took him into custody. Israel’s supreme court rejected an appeal for his release in June. His lawyer, who visited him last month, reported fresh signs of beatings and torture, describing him as barely recognizable. Rights groups including Amnesty International and the UN Commission of Inquiry have separately warned that his life is in imminent danger, with former detainees who shared cells with him describing months of systematic abuse by specialized prison units, including severe beatings, sustained sleep deprivation, and being forced to endure degrading treatment, in what they described as a deliberate effort to break him down physically and psychologically.
A Case That Has Drawn Global Rights Attention.
Al-Boursh described the irony of Abu Safiya’s detention as agonizing, noting that a doctor who stayed by his patients’ side at Kamal Adwan Hospital through the bleakest of circumstances now finds himself stripped of his freedom, with fears mounting for his physical safety. Amnesty International has separately said Israeli authorities must immediately release him, citing reports of an imminent threat to his life from the torture and mistreatment he has endured, while Amnesty International USA issued an emergency appeal to the US Secretary of State calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
The case comes as Gaza’s broader healthcare system remains under severe strain nearly ten months into a fragile ceasefire, with more than 1,200 Palestinians killed and over 4,000 wounded in continued violence since the truce took effect. Around 20,000 patients remain on waiting lists for medical evacuation abroad, while aid officials say only around 250 of the 600 trucks that should enter Gaza daily are currently getting through, as Israeli-controlled “yellow” zones now cover more than 70% of the Strip, confining much of the population to less than a third of Gaza’s territory, most of it already destroyed.
