Latest news with #Qassem
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition following torture and starvation in Israeli prison
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a paeditrican and former director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza who was detained by Israel, is in critical condiiton, Middle East Monitor reported on Monday. Since he was detained by Israeli forces without charge in December and put into the notorious Ofer prison in Israel, he has lost nearly half of his body weight his lawyer Ghaid Ghanem Qassem said due to forced starvation. He was severely beaten on 24 June, his lawyer said, and sustained injuries to his rib cage, face, head, and neck. Dr Abu Safiya is currently suffering from high blood pressure and a heart condition but has been denied medication or access to specialist medical care by Israeli prison authorities. Qassem said he was being held in solitary confinement in an underground cell, where the sun does not enter, as well as enduring torture. Qassem added that glasses that were delivered to Dr Abu Safiya were deliberately broken. Chairman of the Euro-Med human rights monitor Ramy Abdu visited Dr Abu Safiya on 9 July, and reported that he was being held in harrowing conditions. The Israeli military has disproportionately targeted health workers since its war began.
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Health
- Days of Palestine
Abu Safiya Suffers from Systematic Torture in Israeli Prisons
DaysofPal- Attorney Ghaid Ghanem Qassem, the lawyer representing detained Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, has revealed shocking details about the inhumane conditions he is enduring inside Israeli prisons, stating that he has lost over 40 kilograms of his body weight and is subjected to brutal torture and medical neglect. In a Facebook post, Qassem wrote: 'Dr. Hussam is not well. He has lost more than a third of his body weight since his arrest on December 27, 2024. He used to weigh 100 kg, and now he weighs no more than 60.' She added that he was severely beaten on June 24 inside Room 1, Section 24 of Ofer Prison, where he was violently struck on his chest, face, head, back, and neck for more than 30 minutes. Qassem noted that Dr. Abu Safiya had repeatedly requested medical treatment and to be examined by a cardiologist due to his irregular heartbeat and heart muscle enlargement, but these requests were denied. His glasses, which had been delivered through his attorney, were also deliberately broken by prison authorities. 'Despite the summer heat, Dr. Hussam is still wearing his winter clothes while held underground, without any exposure to sunlight, enduring starvation, isolation, and ongoing physical and psychological torture,' Qassem said. During her last visit on July 9, she reported that his first question was about the fate of his martyred son's body, who had been temporarily buried near Kamal Adwan Hospital due to Israeli shelling. He also expressed sorrow over not being able to say goodbye to his mother, who passed away just ten days after his arrest. Israeli authorities recently classified Dr. Abu Safiya as an 'unlawful combatant', a legal designation enacted in 2002 that allows Israel to detain individuals from 'hostile entities' without the protections typically afforded to prisoners of war. Israeli Channel 13 had previously aired a video showing Dr. Abu Safiya inside the prison for the first time since his arrest, handcuffed, exhausted, and unwell. Earlier this year, Amnesty International called for his immediate release, citing credible testimonies about horrific conditions inside Israeli detention centers, where Palestinian detainees, including medical personnel, face systematic torture and abuse. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, is a prominent physician in Gaza. He suffers from chronic high blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy, yet has been denied proper medical care or specialist consultation. In light of these revelations, human rights organizations are increasingly demanding an international investigation into his detention conditions and accountability for the Israeli occupation's systematic abuses, which may amount to war crimes under international law. Shortlink for this post:
Memri
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Hizbullah Secretary-General Naim Qassem Cries When Reminded of Nasrallah's Death, Adds: Our People Are Happy When Talking about Their 'Martyred' Children, Saying That 'Three Are Gone But I Have Two Le
Hizbullah Secretary-General Naim Qassem discussed Hizbullah's response to the October 7 attack, the loss of Nasrallah, and the aftermath of the war with Israel in a Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) interview aired on July 8, 2025. He said Hizbullah was not privy to the intention of Hamas's leadership in Gaza to carry out the Al-Aqsa Flood and learned about it on October 7, like everyone else. Qassem said Hamas asked Hizbullah to join in an all-out war shortly after the attack was launched, but instead, Hizbullah chose to respond with a war of support. He explained that Nasrallah and Hizbullah's Shura Council reasoned that such a war would achieve Hizbullah's goals without the destruction and escalation of an American intervention that an all-out war would bring - and which would ultimately fail to achieve their objectives. Qassem said Hizbullah had declared the war a victory because Hizbullah survived. He said Hizbullah operatives injured in the pager attack were happy and back at work, while parents who lost their children in the war were happy they were martyred - and that they still have other children alive. Qassem said martyrdom is the 'highest badge of honor.' He started crying when he talked about how Nasrallah, who was assassinated in September 2024, is missed, but he said it wasn't because he was gone - rather, because he doesn't know how someone like him could ever be compensated for.
Nahar Net
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Qassem denies divisions within Hezbollah, says group 'has recovered'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 6 hours Hezbollah "has recovered and is now ready" to confront Israel in case of an attack on Lebanon, the group's leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised interview. The interview was recorded on June 11 but only broadcast Tuesday on Lebanese pan-Arabist news channel al-Mayadeen. Qassem said that President Joseph Aoun is being "very pressured" by the U.S. and other Arab countries to disarm Hezbollah by all means, even by force. "But he knows this would lead to strife and would not be fruitful," Qassem told journalist and director of al-Mayadeen Ghassan Bin Jeddo. "Lebanon is strong because of Hezbollah's weapons and we will not accept that Lebanon becomes weak," Qassem said, adding that the medium and heavy arms that have been destroyed during the war with Israel are south of the Litani River, in a hint that Hezbollah has weapons in other regions across the country. Qassem denied internal divisions within Hezbollah. "Usually, when there are wings, you can see them, right? Because they fly... I haven't seen any wings yet," he sarcastically said. Two months of full-fledged war with Israel last fall dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah, with its longtime leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah killed in a September Israeli airstrike. Hezbollah also lost a strategic ally when Islamist-led rebels ousted longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. "Hezbollah communicated with the Lebanese army when problems occurred in the Hermel area" on the Lebanese-Syrian border, Qassem told Bin Jeddo. "There were armed men trying to enter Lebanese territory but Hezbollah was not involved and we have no intention of fighting them so we communicated with the army."
Saba Yemen
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Sheikh Naim Qassem: Both enemies, friends must know Hezbollah battlefield group
Beirut – Saba: Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that Hezbollah does not remain silent in the face of injustice, and that both enemies and friends must know that the party is a battlefield group. In an interview with al-Mayadeen TV, Qassem said that the support battle the party is waging is a natural result of al-Aqsa Flood operation, emphasizing that its goal was to alleviate the suffering of Gaza and push the Israeli occupation toward a solution. Sheikh Qassem explained that news of al-Aqsa Flood operation reached His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah only half an hour after it began, adding that Sayyed Nasrallah has always reiterated that the party does not want a war in Lebanon, and that the support decision was taken unanimously within the Shura Council, as is customary for the party's fundamental decisions. Sheikh Qassem said: "If we had waged a comprehensive war, there would have been destruction and devastation, American intervention, and a further escalation of the situation, without achieving the desired goals." He emphasized that two months after the start of the battle, we informed our brothers in Hamas movement that they were convinced that the support we had provided was sufficient and fulfilling the desired purpose, especially after the extent of the occupation's encroachment and the open American support for it became clear. Regarding Operation al-Aqsa Flood, Sheikh Qassem said that his information confirms that Iran had no prior knowledge of it, nor that any part of Hamas leadership abroad was aware of it. Regarding the issue of explosive devices, Sheikh Qassem explained that the pager incident resulted from a loophole in the procurement process, which was later revealed to have been exposed to Israel. He explained that the purchase of the explosive pagers had taken place within the last year or year and a half. He continued, "When the investigation is complete, I will speak frankly to the public about the level of human infiltration," noting that the human labor was limited, and there is no evidence of a widespread human infiltration or of infiltration of figures or leaders within the party. Sheikh Qassem pointed out that the party has regained its footing despite the great sacrifices that simultaneously provided momentum. He emphasized that the party triumphed by preserving internal harmony in Lebanon and by preventing the Israeli occupation from inciting any internal strife. He emphasized, "Practically speaking, we cannot remain patient indefinitely, and there are limits in the end." He explained that he is not in a position to determine the mechanisms or timing. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
