Israeli authorities have moved Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, into solitary confinement after holding him for more than 500 days without charge.
Abu Safiya, 53, was detained by Israeli forces on 27 December, 2024 while working at Kamal Adwan Hospital, which had continued operating through more than 80 days of siege and repeated Israeli attacks.
According to details first reported by The Guardian, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) received information that Abu Safiya had been transferred from Ketziot prison to Ramon prison, part of the Ganot prison complex, where he was placed in solitary confinement. PHRI said it had not been informed of the reason for the move.
His son, Elyas Abu Safiya, who is also a doctor, raised serious concerns about his father’s health, saying he still needs surgery to remove shrapnel lodged in his left thigh when he was detained. He said Abu Safiya continues to suffer from pain and swelling at the site of the wound.
Elyas said the family had been told that Abu Safiya is now being kept in “an extremely small solitary cell, no larger than one metre by one metre,” leaving him barely enough room to move or sit properly. During the early months of detention, he added, his father was not allowed to change his clothes and developed untreated skin conditions.
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More than 525 days after his arrest, Israel has not filed formal charges against Abu Safiya. He has been classified as an “unlawful combatant”, a designation Israel has used to justify prolonged detention without trial. More than 375 medical workers have also reportedly been classified under the same designation.
According to Elyas, the only apparent reason for his father’s detention “is his refusal to obey the Israeli army’s orders to evacuate the hospital and leave the patients to their fate.”
PHRI learned of Abu Safiya’s transfer after one of its lawyers visited five other Palestinian doctors from Gaza in Ketziot prison on 4 June. Four of the doctors said prison personnel entered the wing where Abu Safiya was being held, handcuffed him and removed him without explanation. PHRI later received information that he had been moved to solitary confinement in Ganot prison.
Under the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, prolonged solitary confinement refers to isolation for more than 15 consecutive days. UN experts have warned that such treatment can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, has filed an appeal seeking his release. Israeli officials responded that he is being held under the unlawful combatants law and that legal proceedings related to his detention are subject to a gag order and held behind closed doors.
In March, UN experts called on Israel to release Abu Safiya immediately and ensure he is granted access to medical examination and treatment. He is one of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza currently held by Israel without charge. PHRI has filed a petition with Israel’s high court seeking their release.
READ: ‘Torture and degrading treatment’ — The case of Dr Abu Safiya and Gaza’s broken medical system
