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Roya News
19-04-2025
- Health
- Roya News
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya "beaten in monstrous ways" during Eid, lawyer reveals
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), is enduring extreme mistreatment and deteriorating conditions behind bars, according to his lawyer, who described the situation as increasingly dire. Dr. Abu Safiya was arrested by the IOF and has since been held in what his lawyer, Gheed Kassem, calls "inhumane conditions." In an interview with Alaraby TV, Kassem said she has met with the doctor three times, and each visit has been more harrowing than the last. "To be honest, what I have heard from him was incredibly shocking, to the point where I don't even know if it's right to reveal to the media," she said. Kassem described widespread abuse of detainees, particularly during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday earlier this month, saying prisoners from Gaza were "beaten and assaulted in a monstrous way." "I have not met one prisoner in the last week, unfortunately, who was not beaten or assaulted," she added. "The situation is escalating, the starvation is increasing, the torture is increasing, the isolation from the outside world is increasing, the threats are increasing, and no one has been able to put a boundary for these escalations." Dr. Abu Safiya, despite being a civilian and medical professional, has been labeled an 'unlawful combatant' by "Israeli" authorities. This classification allows for prolonged detention without formal charges or a trial. He is expected to remain in administrative detention at least until September or October. His lawyer emphasized that many others, including entire medical teams and patients taken from Gaza hospitals, are facing similar abuse in detention. "As rights advocates and lawyers, we are ashamed to even talk about the levels of torture happening," Kassem said. She described acts such as stomping on prisoners' faces, humiliating treatment, and forcing detainees to drink sewage water as examples of the conditions being endured. "Prisoners are being forced to participate in acts that would be morally denounced worldwide,' she said. 'Their honour is stepped on every day, every minute. Their mistreatment is incredibly horrible." In a recent incident, Dr. Abu Safiya was reportedly struck in the head with a metal pillar while in custody, raising further concerns about his safety and health. Kassem pointed out that even a healthy individual would likely suffer lasting damage from the conditions in "Israeli" detention facilities. "He is not the only innocent detainee suffering. Medical workers, patients, civilians—none are spared."
Middle East Eye
18-04-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Hussam Abu Safiya's 'inhumane conditions' in Israeli detention worsening
Hussam Abu Safiya and other Palestinian prisoners in Israeli-run detention centres are facing increasingly "inhumane conditions" and torture, according to his lawyer. Gheed Kassem said in an interview with Alaraby TV that she has visited the paediatrician, who is the director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital, three times, with "each visit being more difficult than the one before". "To be honest, what I have heard from him was incredibly shocking, to the point where I don't even know if its right to reveal to the media," she said. According to Kassem, detainees from Gaza were "beaten and assaulted in a monstrous way" during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr earlier this month. "I have not met one prisoner in the last week, unfortunately, who was not beaten or assaulted," she said. 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 situation is escalating, the starvation is increasing, the torture is increasing, the isolation from the outside world is increasing, the threats are increasing, and no one has been able to put a boundary for these escalations." Abu Safiya's lawyer said even an able-bodied healthy individual would come out suffering with health conditions following Israeli detainment. Kassem stressed that Abu Safiya is not the only innocent prisoner facing such cruel conditions, but in fact, entire medical crews and even patients who were detained from inside Gaza hospitals are suffering the same. "As rights advocates and lawyers, we are ashamed to even talk about the levels of torture happening," she said, citing stomping on faces, humiliation and forced consumption of sewage water as some of the lighter treatment Palestinians face. Kassem noted that prisoners are forced to take part in acts that would be "morally denounced worldwide". "Their honour is stepped on every day, every minute. Their mistreatment is incredibly horrible." Dr Abu Safiya symbolised humanity in Gaza. Israel and the West are destroying it Read More » In the case of Abu Safiya, she says his head was hit on a metal pillar just days ago. 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. He is set to remain in administrative detention until at least September or October. Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners' rights group, says nearly 10,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned, including around 400 children and 27 women. It estimates that roughly 40 percent of all Palestinian men have been detained at some point by Israel in their lifetime. The group also reports that almost 3,500 people are being held under administrative detention - imprisoned without formal charges or access to legal proceedings. In late October, Abu Safiya's son was killed by an Israeli raid on the Kamal Adwan hospital. "Despite the monstrous happenings inside the prisons, medical personnele, including Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, until now their main concern is the state of hospitals in the Gaza Strip," Kassem said. "Until this second, the thing that he asks about is the conditions hospitals are facing amid the current and apparent genocide in Gaza."
Al Bawaba
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
London activists unveil memorial honoring Hind Rajab and Palestinian children killed in Gaza
ALBAWABA- A memorial honoring five-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab and other Palestinian children killed in Gaza has been unveiled in London, as activists worldwide continue to commemorate her tragic death and demand justice. In February, activists in Manchester also held a memorial event marking the first anniversary of Hind's killing by Israeli occupation forces. Her death, which became a symbol of the Israeli brutality faced by civilians in Gaza, has since sparked global outrage and legal action. In Brussels, a human rights organization named after Hind was established to pursue Israeli soldiers and politicians involved in war crimes through national and international courts. The Hind Rajab Foundation has gathered 8,000 digital documents as evidence, aiming to hold perpetrators accountable. Based in Brussels and operating under Belgian justice laws, the foundation is actively working to prosecute those responsible for war crimes in Gaza. The organization's president, Dyab Abou Jahjah, told Alaraby TV: "We are working on three levels. The priority is soldiers with dual nationality, as their legal eligibility is clear in the countries where they hold citizenship. This provides us with a strong legal avenue to pursue justice." Hind Rajab was killed alongside five members of her family in early February 2024 by Israeli forces. Their bodies, along with those of a medical team sent to rescue her, were found 12 days after losing contact. She had been trapped inside a vehicle surrounded by Israeli tanks near a gas station in Gaza when Israeli forces killed her relatives. According to The Telegraph, Hind's ordeal—captured in a desperate phone call pleading for help before she and the rescuers were also killed—moved people worldwide. Her story has become a stark reminder of the horrors committed by the Israeli forces in Gaza, and are endured by children and civilians, fueling calls for accountability and justice.
