Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has spoken through a video link from Israeli custody to describe ongoing physical abuse, lack of sleep and intimidation. The testimony, relayed by the Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners on September 3, 2026, details assaults on his body, including sensitive areas, with hands, feet and batons.
According to the centre, prison guards also employ loudspeakers and constant noise at night to prevent him from sleeping. After a recent visit by his lawyer, Abu Safiya says he was beaten again, a move he interprets as a warning not to disclose the conditions of his confinement.
Medical records from the prison note injuries to his left eye, head, face, chest and other parts of his body. Earlier reports already listed head and facial wounds sustained during an Israeli operation on Kamal Adwan Hospital in November 2024, when the doctor was injured but continued treating patients despite extensive damage to the facility.
Abu Safiya has been held since December 27, 2024, after Israeli forces entered the hospital and seized him. His son was killed in an October 2024 Israeli strike, and the doctor was later labelled an unlawful combatant, a status that allows detention without formal indictment. Rights groups say he remains in solitary confinement since June 2026, without charge or trial.
The centre urges the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization to intervene, demanding immediate medical examinations, access to treatment and the ability to communicate with his lawyer without fear of retaliation. Physicians for Human Rights has asked for permission to send an independent doctor for an examination, a request filed on July 7.
These allegations add to broader concerns about the treatment of Palestinian health workers, including reports of starvation, isolation and restricted family contact. International bodies are being called upon to launch an independent investigation and ensure Abu Safiya receives the protection and care mandated by humanitarian law.
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đź“° Source: Siasat Gulf