Al Mezan Calls for His Immediate Release

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 11 February 2025

Gaza, 11 February 2025 – Today, after 47 days of arbitrary detention—during which Israeli authorities repeatedly denied him access to legal counsel—Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya met his lawyer for the first time since his abduction from Gaza. A Palestinian healthcare worker and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Abu Safiya was forcibly taken by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024 from the hospital in Beit Lahiya, along with several doctors, medical staff, patients, and other civilians.

Around 3 p.m. today, Al Mezan’s lawyer visited Dr. Abu Safiya in Ofer Prison, located in the unlawfully occupied West Bank. During the visit, Dr. Abu Safiya detailed the various forms of torture and abuse to which he has been subjected both during his unlawful arrest and throughout his arbitrary detention by Israeli forces and authorities.

When he was captured from Gaza and transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention camp, he was subjected to various forms of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment—methods that are emblematic of Israeli mass arrest operations in Gaza. He reported being forcibly stripped, having his hands tightly shackled, and being made to sit on sharp gravel for approximately five hours by Israeli forces. He was also subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings with batons and electric shock sticks, as well as repeated blows to the chest.

In Ofer Prison, where he was transferred on 9 January 2025, he was held in solitary confinement for 25 days—a period so prolonged as to constitute a form of torture in itself. During this time, he endured nearly continuous interrogation for 10 days. At one point, he lost consciousness in his cell due to severe breathing difficulties. During interrogation, Dr. Abu Safiya was confronted with accusations that he firmly denied, stressing that he is a doctor whose sole duty is to provide medical care to patients and the wounded.

He also reported a severe decline in his health, with his weight dropping from 96 kg to 84 kg, a 12 kg loss in less than two months—further evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation policies against Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Additionally, he disclosed that he suffers from heart muscle enlargement. Despite repeatedly requesting medical attention from Israeli authorities, he has been systematically denied access to a specialist examination and deprived of essential care, further endangering his already deteriorating condition.

Al Mezan unequivocally condemns the torture and other grave human rights abuses inflicted upon Dr. Abu Safiya by Israeli forces and authorities. 

We had previously warned of the heightened risk of torture and ill-treatment in his case, particularly due to the restrictions imposed on his access to legal counsel—concerns that have now been confirmed during the lawyer’s visit. Al Mezan highlights that his treatment is not an isolated incident but part of Israel’s systematic and widespread human rights violations against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, which we have been documenting since October 2023. These abuses constitute serious violations of international law and underscore the urgent need for his immediate release and accountability for those responsible.

We urge the international community—particularly Israel’s enabling allies—to take immediate action to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya, as well as of all Palestinians who have been unlawfully arrested and arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities, including hudrends of healthcare workers.