Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, a paediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, appeared via video link at a hearing before Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Wednesday, after more than 500 days in detention. His family said his face and body bore clear marks of torture.
During the hearing, Abu Safia stated: "My detention is unjust and arbitrary; I demand my immediate release. I am a paediatrician providing medical services and care to patients, the wounded, and vulnerable people in the Gaza Strip."
Defence lawyer Nasser Abu Odeh said: "Dr. Hussam remains in solitary confinement at Nafha Prison. He appeared before the court on screen, handcuffed and shackled; the court refused to remove the restraints." The lawyer also revealed that Abu Safia had not received medical treatment or necessary medication for chronic conditions, and was suffering from severe back and neck pain following an attack, as well as vision problems because his glasses had been confiscated.
The doctor's son, Ilyas Abu Safia, told Al Jazeera: "When we saw the latest images of him, we were shocked, we broke down in tears and wept. We didn't just see the face of a father we had missed for many long months; we saw clear marks of torture, pain, and exhaustion etched on his face." Lawyer Abu Odeh added that the doctor's hands showed signs of a skin disease, a common condition among Palestinian political prisoners.
Abu Safia was arrested by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024 during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital. He had defied Israeli evacuation orders to stay and treat patients, and became known for video statements urging the world to stop attacks on medical facilities. He led the funeral for his son Ibrahim, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike at the hospital gate.
According to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), Abu Safia has been held without charge under the 2002 "Unlawful Combatants" law, which allows indefinite detention without formal accusations and strips away protections under the Geneva Conventions. The court has postponed a decision on whether to continue his detention, with a ruling expected in the coming days.
The United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and numerous human rights organisations have called for Abu Safia's immediate release. They have previously reported that he was subjected to abuse, severe weight loss, skin infections, and a lack of medical care while in detention.
In related developments, on Thursday, a Palestinian was killed when Israeli artillery struck an apartment building near the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza; two others were wounded in a drone attack; and a woman was seriously injured by drone fire in the Beit Lahiya area of northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
