The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, is facing a critical health condition inside Israeli prisons due to daily assaults while being held in solitary confinement.
اضافة اعلان
The Hebrew newspaper quoted Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s lawyer, who visited him recently, as saying that he found severe injuries and bruises on the doctor's body, specifically on his head, around his eyes, ears, and neck, to the point that he had difficulty recognizing him.
The lawyer added that the Palestinian doctor appeared extremely exhausted, struggling to breathe and speak, and unable to sit without losing his balance and falling. He also spoke with extreme caution out of fear of facing further abuse and torture after the visit ended.
According to the lawyer's testimony reported by Haaretz, Abu Safiya confirmed that he is subjected to daily beatings and violence during his detention in the solitary confinement section known as "Rakefet" inside Nitzan Prison, noting that he had lost consciousness several times as a result of the assaults.
He explained that a paramedic would attend every time he lost consciousness, offering him a painkiller and some water before he was beaten again, according to the lawyer's statement.
The newspaper quoted the lawyer saying that Abu Safiya told him, "I genuinely fear that this visit will be my last before they kill me."
In light of these testimonies, the organization "Physicians for Human Rights – Israel" stated that the lawyer's account indicates Dr. Abu Safiya’s life is in real danger, demanding an immediate independent medical examination by an official body not affiliated with the Israel Prison Service.
The lawyer also demanded Abu Safiya’s transfer to another prison and the provision of urgent medical care, warning against his continued detention under the current isolation conditions.
Haaretz noted that the Israeli Supreme Court last month rejected the appeal against Abu Safiya’s continued detention, meaning he will remain in custody for at least another four months, while the details of the decision remain unannounced due to a gag order.
For his part, Ramy Abdu, the chairman of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, announced that the two Palestinian doctors imprisoned in Israeli jails, Hussam Abu Safiya and Marwan Al-Hams, are facing liquidation attempts and torture, putting their lives in danger.
In a post on the "X" platform on Saturday, Abdu said that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s life is in danger, noting real fears of his physical liquidation.
Abdu added: "According to the information available to us, Dr. Marwan Al-Hams is also undergoing daily torture sessions that have caused his heart to stop, and his life is in immediate danger."
He pointed out that the Euro-Med Monitor requested urgent visits for both doctors from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been held in Israeli prisons for over a year and a half under the "Unlawful Combatants" law without being charged, alongside 13 other Palestinian doctors arrested from the Gaza Strip, with his detention being extended every six months by a judicial order.
According to data from Palestinian prisoners' institutions, nearly 9,400 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails, including 350 children, 99 women, and 3,244 administrative detainees, amid accusations against Israel of practicing torture, starvation, and medical neglect against them.
Abu Safiya is one of the most prominent Palestinian doctors who continued their work at Kamal Adwan Hospital during the war on Gaza, despite the killing of his son, his own personal injury, and the targeting and destruction of large parts of the hospital, before Israeli forces arrested him following their second raid on the hospital in December 2024.
Commenting on the allegations, the Israel Prison Service told Haaretz that it "operates according to the law and under continuous judicial supervision," adding that "any complaint received is examined and handled according to legal procedures." Haaretz
