Dr. Abu Safiya Held in ’Israeli’ Custody Without Charge

By Staff, Agencies

The "Israeli" Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal seeking the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a well-known Palestinian doctor who has been held without charge since his arrest in Gaza in late 2024.

Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital, is among at least 14 doctors from Gaza who have been detained in "Israel" without charge for more than a year.

The court based its decision on "confidential materials" that were not shared with Abu Safiya or his lawyer, Naji Abbas, director of the Detainees and Detainees Department at the "Israeli" rights organization Physicians for Human Rights “Israel” [PHRI], told Reuters on Tuesday.

"The message sent by this decision is unmistakable: a medical professional can be deprived of his liberty indefinitely without being charged and without the authorities presenting evidence against him in open court," Abbas said in a statement.

Abu Safiya's lawyer and human rights groups say the doctor has been denied sufficient food and assaulted in prison.

Abu Safiya appeared by video link at a Supreme Court hearing in al-Quds last Wednesday, looking noticeably thinner. For the past 13 days, Abu Safiya has also been held in solitary confinement, PHRI said.

The "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] has accused Abu Safiya of being a member of Hamas, without providing evidence, while both Gaza's Health Ministry and Hamas have denied the allegation.

In 2023, Abu Safiya was among the doctors who refused to leave the dozens of newborn infants they were treating after the IOF ordered them to leave.

Dr. Abu Safiya was detained by the IOF during a Gaza hospital raid in December 2024 and has since been held without charge under military detention laws.

Over time, reports from human rights groups, UN experts, and released detainees have alleged torture, medical neglect, and periods of undisclosed whereabouts, including transfer between prisons and solitary confinement.

Despite repeated appeals and warnings over his worsening health, he remains in detention after more than 500 days.