Overview
- Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, appeared by video at a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday, marking his first public sighting since February 2025.
- His lawyer filed an appeal challenging continued detention after more than 500 days without charge, and the court said it would issue a decision following the hearing.
- Family and rights groups say Abu Safiya has lost large amounts of weight, suffered fractured ribs, vision problems and skin disease, and they allege he was transferred to solitary confinement in Nafha.
- Israeli authorities have accused him of membership in Hamas but have not produced publicly verifiable evidence, and Israel’s prison service denies claims of deliberate mistreatment.
- His case is part of a wider pattern noted by rights groups of about 14 detained Gazan doctors and nearly 400 healthcare workers taken during Israeli operations, raising concerns about care for Gaza’s collapsing health system and protections for medical staff.