Detained Gaza doctor Abu Safiya in critical condition, lawyer says
Israeli forces arrested Abu Safia on 27 December from the hospital in Beit Lahia in north Gaza, which was left out of service following Israeli attacks.
All medical staff, patients, and their relatives were taken out of the hospital at gunpoint, forced to strip down to their underwear.
Remaining in solitary confinement, Abu Safiya has lost more than 40kg (88 pounds) since his arrest and was reportedly beaten on 24 June, his lawyer said. He was denied medical care despite requesting treatment for injuries to his ribs, face and back, as well as for irregular cardiology test results.
Abu Safiya has been categorised as an "unlawful combatant" under Israel - despite him being a civilian doctor, which means there is no formal indictment against him. (Instagram/dr.hussam73)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
18 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
One-year-old girl dies from severe malnutrition in central Gaza
A one-and-a-half-year-old girl died on Friday in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah from severe malnutrition as a result of Israel's blockade, Wafa news agency reported. According to health officials, around 17,000 children are currently suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) recently warned that child malnutrition has worsened, especially among children under five. Between March and June 2025, Unrwa's clinics conducted nearly 74,000 screenings, identifying around 5,500 cases of moderate acute malnutrition and over 800 cases of severe acute malnutrition. The UN agency attributed the rise in malnutrition to the ongoing Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has severely restricted the entry of food, medicine and humanitarian aid.
Middle East Eye
20 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Gaza doctor Abu Safiya given 'two spoonfuls of rice a day' in Israeli jail
A lawyer representing Palestinian Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has raised concerns over his deteriorating health and routine torture in Israeli detention, where inmates are given only two spoonfuls of rice a day. In an interview with Arab48, publiched Thursday, lawyer Gheed Kassem said that the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, located north of the Gaza Strip, had faced severe physical assault that resulted in bruising to his head, neck, rib cage, and back. When Dr Abu Safiya requested medical assistance for complications stemming from the beatings, including an irregular heartbeat, his request was denied. Medical neglect and abuse in Israeli-run prisons have been well-documented, with such practices reportedly intensifying since the events of 7 October 2023. In early May, the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission said that sick Palestinian detainees faced "deliberate and systematic medical neglect," alongside hunger and torture negatively affecting their health conditions. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The statement came after the death of 60-year-old prisoner Mohyee al-Din Fahmi Najem, who suffered from chronic illnesses and was denied proper medical treatment during his detention. Abu Safya, who remains in solitary confinement at the Ofer military prison - which houses 450 detainees from the Gaza Strip - weighs no more than 60 kilograms, according to his lawyer. She said that since his detention in late December, the senior paediatrician and neonatologist had lost 40 kilograms, describing his body as "emaciated." Additionally, Dr Abu Safiya is held in an underground cell that is completely isolated and receives no natural light. "He knows nothing about the outside world, and he is still wearing winter clothes," Kassem explained. "Prisoners inside Ofer prison endure incredibly harsh and catastrophic conditions," she added. The lawyer described how Palestinians imprisoned there are allowed only two spoonfuls of rice a day, while both sugar and salt are completely banned "to prevent any rise in the happiness hormone, even a small one, from eating sugar". "This is in addition to the frequent cell raids, the torture, and the constant searches that prisoners are subjected to." The most recent case of torture and medical neglect in Israeli detention involves the death of 53-year-old Samir al-Rifai from Jenin. According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission, Rifai died seven days after his arrest, raising the death toll of Palestinian prisoners who have died under Israeli detention since the beginning of the war on Gaza to 74. The father of five had reportedly suffered from heart issues and needed intensive medical care. Sources suggest that his death resulted from ill-treatment and the severe conditions in prison, though no official reports have been released. Lack of rights Abu Safiya has been categorised as an "unlawful combatant" by Israeli authorities, despite him being a civilian doctor. This classification means there is no formal indictment against him. Iron bars, electric shocks, dogs and cigarette burns: How Palestinians are tortured in Israeli detention Read More » "The designation of an unlawful combatant renders a prisoner without rights," Kassem said. "Israeli law strips those with this designation of their natural human rights inside prisons." The Kassem added that prison authorities also create "successive obstacles for lawyers," with each visit needing to be scheduled four months in advance. Even then, it could be cancelled. Additionally, legal representatives are often left waiting for long stretches of time, and when their clients are finally brought in for the visit, they are often assaulted on the way as they are crawling on the ground in handcuffs. "The interview is conducted under a microscope, under the eyes and ears of the jailers. If the jailers feel that the visit has boosted the prisoner's morale, they assault him in revenge," she said. Detainees are also subjected to constant psychological torture, Kassem added, including being exposed to graphic images and depressing news as well as being told false information about the death of loved ones. "The first question every prisoner asks me is about their families and whether they are still alive," she said.
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Middle East Eye
At least 18 killed in Gaza since dawn
At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn today, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.
