Israel has officially acknowledged the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, reversing earlier claims to a local NGO that they had no knowledge of his whereabouts. This confirmation has raised concerns about his safety and treatment.
According to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Dr. Abu Safiya is “currently under investigation by Israeli security forces.” The statement did not clarify the earlier discrepancy but reiterated allegations that he is a suspected “terrorist” affiliated with Hamas, a group actively engaged in conflict with Israel.
Dr. Abu Safiya was apprehended last Friday during an IDF operation where medical personnel and patients were forced to evacuate Kamal Adwan Hospital, which the IDF claims was being used as a “Hamas terrorist stronghold.”
On the same day, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) was informed by the IDF that they had no record of Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention. In response, PHRI took legal action by filing a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice to demand disclosure of his location, with the court granting a week for the IDF to respond.
Amnesty International’s secretary-general, Agnès Callamard, has called on Israeli officials to “urgently disclose his whereabouts,” highlighting that hundreds of Palestinian healthcare workers from Gaza have been detained without legal process, allegedly facing torture and incommunicado detention. Israel, however, refutes these accusations, asserting that detainees are treated appropriately.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s family, speaking to BBC Arabic, suspect he is detained at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel, known for harsh detainment conditions as reported by whistleblowers to various international media outlets. Israel insists that all detainees at the base are handled with due care.
The evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital was executed swiftly, with staff and patients given just 15 minutes to move outside, as reported by BBC sources. The hospital, situated in Beit Lahia, has been part of northern Gaza, which has been under an intensified blockade since October, described by the UN as a “near-total siege,” severely limiting aid access to the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 residents still in the area.
