Overview
- The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday called for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and for independent medical care after finding credible reports of continued and severe abuse in Israeli custody.
- Abu Safiya was seized during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 27, 2024 and has been held without charge under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law, a detention regime that allows use of confidential evidence.
- His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, who visited him on July 2, reported that Abu Safiya showed fresh head and neck injuries, severe weight loss, breathing problems, and signs of near‑collapse, warning that his life is in imminent danger.
- Israeli authorities and the Israel Prison Service reject the allegations of abuse and stress security concerns, while Israel’s courts have rejected appeals for release after reviewing classified material not available to the defense.
- Rights groups say Abu Safiya’s case is part of a wider pattern of arrests and mistreatment of Gaza medical personnel, with dozens detained and several dying in custody, and they warn the detentions deepen the collapse of Gaza’s health system even as U.N. findings have no direct enforcement.