A lawyer representing Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya has warned that he was recently transferred to solitary confinement in Israeli custody despite suffering from various health conditions.
During his last visit to Abu Safiya on 26 May, Nasser Odeh reported that the doctor was held in “harsh conditions”, where he experienced medical neglect, regular beatings, deprivation of food and water, and had his limbs shackled during detention.
Abu Safiya, who was abducted from Gaza and detained in late December 2024, has reportedly faced abuse and mistreatment in Israeli detention.
Odeh added that despite Abu Safiya suffering from various chronic illnesses and needing urgent medical treatments, he has not been provided such care.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) previously reported that the hospital director suffers from serious ailments such as severe scabies and heart problems. He has also lost significant weight behind bars.
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“Abu Safiya is not receiving the basic medicines he needs,” Odeh said, adding that Abu Safiya indicated there was a lack of food and water and that he was suffering from deliberate medical neglect.
Abu Safiya was restrained during their meeting, which took place inside a camera-monitored room. The two were communicating through a phone with a glass barrier separating them as well as guards present on both sides.
The lawyer described the visit as being “very short”, making it “difficult for the detainee to talk about his personal matters, due to the fear of retaliation or punishment by the prison guards present during the visit”.
Odeh noted that since his transfer to Negev Prison, Abu Safiya suffered violent beatings and abuse.
As of 3 June, Abu Safiya has been transferred from Negev to Nafha Prison in southern Israel, where he has been placed in solitary confinement.
Several rights groups and experts have spoken out against the decision to move the doctor, including Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard, who demanded Israel release him
“Days are passing without any communication or updates regarding his situation,” Odeh said.
Despite being a civilian doctor, Abu Safiya has been categorised as an “unlawful combatant” under Israeli law, which means there is no formal indictment against him.
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Rights groups have described this legislation as a flagrant violation of international law. It allows Israeli authorities to detain individuals without a court order or access to legal representation as well as withhold information about their whereabouts and conditions.
Odeh explained that an appeal had been filed with the Israeli High Court of Justice against the decision to continue detaining Abu Safiya under the legislation, adding that the court is scheduled to hold a session on 10 June to consider the request.
Abu Safiya is amongst scores of Gaza doctors, healthcare workers and emergency responders who have been targeted and arbitrarily detained by Israel, many of whom were seized while carrying out their duties in hospitals.
Palestinian detainees have reported widespread and severe mistreatment in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023, leading rights groups to describe the abuses as systematic crimes.
Reports detail starvation, medical neglect, physical violence, humiliation, sexual assault, theft and unprecedented levels of mass solitary confinement.
The number of detainees in Israeli prisons has reached about 9,500 as of early June, according to the latest tally by Palestinian prisoner groups.
This figure excludes unaccounted-for detainees held in Israeli military camps, primarily Palestinians abducted from Gaza, whose precise numbers remain unknown but are believed to be in the thousands.
