Palestinian Doctor Starved and Tortured in “Israeli” Custody, Lawyer Warns

By Staff, Agencies

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the imprisoned director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, is in critical condition due to severe abuse, starvation and medical neglect in “Israeli” custody, according to his lawyer Ramy Abdu.

In a statement posted to X on Monday, Abdu said he visited Dr. Abu Safiya on July 9 and described a worsening physical and psychological condition. “He has lost over 40 kilograms, more than one-third of his body weight. At the time of his abduction, he weighed 100 kg. Today, he weighs no more than 60 kg,” the lawyer wrote.

Abdu detailed a violent assault that took place on June 24 inside Ofer Prison. “His room—Room 1, Section 24—was specifically targeted. He was brutally beaten in the chest and sustained severe bruises on the face, head, back, and neck. The beating lasted approximately 30 minutes,” he said.

Following the assault, Dr. Abu Safiya—who suffers from an irregular heartbeat—requested urgent medical attention, including access to a cardiologist and proper diagnostic testing. His requests were denied by “Israeli” prison authorities, Abdu added. The doctor’s eyeglasses, recently sent to him by his lawyer, were also reportedly smashed by “Israeli” forces.

“He is still wearing winter clothes while enduring starvation, torture, solitary confinement, and total deprivation, buried underground with no exposure to sunlight,” Abdu said. “Dr. Abu Safiya, like all Palestinian detainees, is not okay.”

Dr. Abu Safiya was abducted by “Israeli” forces on December 27, 2024, during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. The operation disabled the last functioning major hospital in North Gaza. Alongside the hospital director, other medical staff and patients were also seized.

Before his arrest, Dr. Abu Safiya was one of the last remaining senior voices defending Gaza’s collapsed health sector, continuing to care for children even after his own son was killed by “Israeli” forces in October 2024.

Despite repeated calls from human rights organizations for his release, the “Israeli” entity has ignored the demands.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 58,026 Palestinians have been martyred and 138,520 wounded since the “Israeli” entity launched its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.