What happened
Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 during a "near total siege" of the area. The Israeli military claimed he was apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities and holding a rank in Hamas, an assertion denied by medical staff and international aid groups who worked with him. He is being held under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which permits indefinite detention without charge for suspected security risks.
His lawyer states that Abu Safiya has been severely beaten in Israeli custody, an allegation the Israel Prison Service (IPS) denies, stating all prisoners are held lawfully and receive medical care. However, the IPS has faced past criticism for its treatment of Palestinian prisoners. In November 2025, the UN Committee against Torture expressed deep concern over reports of "a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment" of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. Additionally, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) reported that at least 94 Palestinian prisoners and detainees had died in Israeli custody in less than two years.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and PHRI, have called for action in Abu Safiya's case, with PHRI filing a petition to the Supreme Court in April for his and 13 other doctors' release. Most recently, on Monday (prior to July 7, 2026), the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention deemed Abu Safiya's detention arbitrary and urged his immediate release. The panel noted that his case, among others, "may indicate a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country."