UN calls for release of detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya amid reports of severe injuries and torture

A UN human rights body demands the immediate release of prominent Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, calling his 18-month detention without charge arbitrary. His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, warns that Abu Safiya's life is in immediate danger at the underground Rakefet facility, reporting severe head and neck injuries from daily beatings. While Israel alleges Abu Safiya is a Hamas colonel who allowed militants to use Kamal Adwan Hospital, rights groups call his arrest part of a systematic campaign targeting Gaza's healthcare system.

Abu Safiya detention conditions

• ▪The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya arbitrary and demanded his immediate release and compensation.
• ▪Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was transferred to the underground Rakefet facility at Nitzan Prison on June 24, 2026, after previously being held at Ganot Prison.
• ▪Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was arrested by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024, and has been held without charge under Israel’s Unlawful Enemy Combatants Law.

Torture allegations from lawyer

• ▪Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya alleged he was subjected to daily beatings by prison guards that caused him to lose consciousness several times.
• ▪The Israel Prison Service rejected all allegations of abuse, torture, starvation, or denial of medical treatment as false and without factual basis.
• ▪Lawyer Nasser Odeh reported that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya suffered fresh injuries to his head, eyes, ears, and neck, and struggled to breathe during a July 2, 2026, visit.

International legal enforcement gaps

• ▪Israel's Supreme Court ordered the state to submit its response by July 7, 2026, to a petition seeking the release of 14 Palestinian doctors.
• ▪International law protects detained medical personnel, but enforcement mechanisms like the Red Cross rely on state cooperation rather than coercive enforcement.

Political pressure for release

• ▪Human rights organizations including Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Amnesty International, and Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor have demanded independent medical care and release for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
• ▪British politicians John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn, and Richard Burgon called for the urgent intervention of the UK government to secure Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya's release.

Israeli allegations against hospital

• ▪Israel alleges that Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was used as a military facility and shelter by Hamas fighters, which Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya's lawyer and family deny.
• ▪The Israel Defense Forces allege that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is a high-ranking operative holding the rank of colonel in the Hamas Military Medical Services.

Gaza healthcare system targeting

• ▪Physicians for Human Rights Israel stated that the arrest of medical staff and the broader humanitarian crisis reflect a systematic undermining of Palestinians' right to health.
• ▪Amnesty International and other rights groups describe the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya as part of a systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers by Israel.

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