Sixty-nine Democratic and independent members of the US Congress have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene with the Israeli government to secure the release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held by Israel for more than 500 days.
In a letter led by Representatives Maxine Dexter and Raul Ruiz, the lawmakers expressed grave concern over Abu Safiya’s deteriorating health and called on the State Department to engage with the Israeli government to ensure his release and access to necessary medical care.
Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by Israeli authorities in December 2024 and remains in custody without being formally charged or tried.
In June, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking his release.
Deteriorating Health and Alleged Abuse
According to his lawyer and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Abu Safiya has been transferred between five prisons since his detention. During a visit by his lawyer on August 30, he reportedly said he had been assaulted and deprived of sleep.
Naji Abbas, director of the organization’s Prisoners and Detainees Department, said Abu Safiya had lost about 20 kilograms and had been denied medication for high blood pressure for at least two months before the organization and his lawyer intervened. Abu Safiya also told his lawyer that he was suffering from scabies.
Amnesty International quoted Abu Safiya’s lawyer as saying that new bruises had appeared on his body and that he was struggling to remain conscious.
The organization expressed grave concern over reports that Abu Safiya had been beaten, deliberately deprived of sleep and subjected to threats, and called on Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him and all Palestinians held arbitrarily.
US Calls for His Release
Dexter said reports of Abu Safiya’s mistreatment and deteriorating health warranted immediate action, arguing that a doctor should not be punished “simply for responding to a call to care for people in crisis.”
Ruiz, for his part, urged the secretary of state to work with the Israeli government to secure Abu Safiya’s release and ensure he receives urgent medical care. He expressed concern that Abu Safiya had not received adequate treatment for his worsening condition.
During the first months of the war in Gaza, Abu Safiya emerged as a prominent medical voice in the territory, documenting the collapse of the healthcare system and efforts to keep Kamal Adwan Hospital operating despite the siege and military operations.
The lawmakers’ letter highlighted his role in caring for wounded civilians and establishing a malnutrition treatment unit that treated hundreds of children, as well as his continued medical work despite the killing of his 15-year-old son and his own injury during the war.
Source: (AFP)
