The family of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, issued a statement revealing his subjection to severe torture and starvation inside the Israeli occupation prisons, since his arrest in December 2024.
Abu Safia suffers from harsh detention conditions, as he was held in solitary confinement for 24 days, before being transferred to Ofer Prison, amid inhumane treatment, including deprivation of adequate food, despite his suffering from chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and an enlarged heart muscle.
The lawyer who met him recently confirmed that his file has no charges against him, which increases the possibility of his release within any future exchange agreement.
Abu Safia’s arrest is part of a systematic campaign targeting the health sector in Gaza during the Israeli war of extermination that lasted for more than 14 months.
On December 27, 2024, the occupation forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, set it on fire, took it out of service, and arrested more than 350 people inside, including Dr. Abu Safia, who had a picture that went viral of him wearing the white medical gown walking alone on the rubbles.
Attacks on hospitals constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, especially the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit targeting medical facilities and their workers.
Dr. Abu Safia also paid a heavy personal price as a result of the Israeli war of extermination. On October 26, 2024, he lost his son Ibrahim during the IOF’s storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital. Despite being injured in the bombing of the hospital on November 24, he refused to leave his place and continued to perform his humanitarian duty in treating patients and the wounded until his arrest.
In light of the continued suffering of Palestinian prisoners, Abu Safia’s family called for international pressure to improve his detention conditions, provide appropriate food and treatment, and lead to his immediate release and the release of all detained medical personnel. The lawyer also stressed that Abu Safia is calling on the world to save the detained medical crews and protect them from the ongoing Israeli violations.
Dr. Abu Safia’s arrest came during a genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip with American support, leaving more than 160,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to 14,000 missing, according to official Palestinian figures.
On January 19, 2025, a ceasefire agreement began that included a prisoner exchange between Gaza and the occupation, with Egyptian and Qatari mediation and American support, in three stages, each lasting 42 days.
