Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been detained by Israel since a December 2024 military raid that destroyed the hospital and forcibly removed him, officials said [1]. He has been held without charge for more than 18 months, classified by Israel as an "unlawful combatant" to justify prolonged detention without trial [2, 1].
Multiple United Nations inquiries and human rights groups have reported credible evidence that Abu Safiya suffered severe abuse and mistreatment while in Israeli custody, which seriously damaged his health [3, 2, 4]. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry described his medical condition as "the direct result" of prisoners' mistreatment and called the Israeli Prison Service's actions "grave violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes" [3].
The commission demanded the immediate, unconditional, and safe release of Abu Safiya and all Palestinian medical personnel arbitrarily detained by Israel, citing a wider pattern of violations against healthcare workers and institutions since October 2023, including accusations of war crimes and genocide [3, 4]. "The Commission calls for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of Dr. Abu Safiya and of all medical personnel held in arbitrary detention by Israel," it stated [2].
Israel's Prison Service spokesperson rejected all allegations of abuse as "false, outrageous, and entirely without factual basis" [3, 2]. Abu Safiya appeared before Israel’s Supreme Court via videolink in June 2026 looking noticeably thinner and in poor health, bolstering UN concerns [3, 2].
France publicly joined calls for Abu Safiya’s release on humanitarian grounds on July 9, citing worries over his deteriorating condition. A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said, "In view of the extremely worrying information about his state of health, France joins international calls for his release on humanitarian grounds" [1].
Dr. Abu Safiya is 52 years old and was taken during a raid in Gaza in late December 2024 [2, 1]. The next step in the case is awaited following the UN commission's July 8 call and France's July 9 intervention.
