Lawyer: Detained Gaza doctor Abu Safiya in critical condition
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- Lawyer Nasser Odeh said detained Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition and has been abused in Israeli captivity, 18 months after being seized.
- Abu Safiya, who served as director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and led the facility through an 85-day Israeli military siege, was arrested in December 2024 and has never been charged.
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Odeh reported that during a July 2 visit, Abu Safiya appeared extremely weak, struggled to sit upright, and had recent head injuries around his eyes, ears, and neck plus difficulty breathing.
- The Israeli military said Abu Safiya, 53, is being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas — claims staff and international aid groups that worked with him deny.
- Abu Safiya was kept in solitary confinement for extended periods and showed lash-like marks on both arms during a video appearance at an Israel Supreme Court hearing last month, per his lawyer.
- Israel's Prison Service called the allegations "false and entirely without factual basis," citing privacy concerns while asserting all detainees are held in accordance with the law and receive medical care per Ministry of Health guidelines.
- Odeh and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have petitioned an Israeli court to have Abu Safiya transferred to another facility.
Why it matters: Abu Safiya became the face of Gaza's collapsing health system during the war; his continued detention without charge for 18 months — with his lawyer describing visible injuries and his inability to sit upright — undercuts Israel's blanket denial of abuse at a moment when the UN and multiple human rights groups have alleged systematic mistreatment of the surging Palestinian detainee population.
