Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, will remain in prison without any criminal charges, as the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal on Tuesday.
Abu Safiya, who has been held in Israeli prisons since December 2024, is being kept in solitary confinement at Nafha Prison in harsh conditions and without adequate medical care despite suffering from various chronic illnesses, according to his lawyer Nasser Odeh.
During his last visit to Abu Safiya in May, Odeh reported that the doctor experienced medical neglect, regular beatings, deprivation of food and water, and had his limbs shackled during detention.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said Abu Safiya was moved to solitary confinement shortly after filing his petition, without explanation or disclosure of reasons for isolation.
According to testimonies, his detention has been repeatedly extended without evidence being presented in court, and no indictment has been filed against him or other Gaza detainees held under the same legal framework, including 13 doctors.
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.
He 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.
