Rights activists and a lawyer said on Sunday that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, is facing a serious risk to his health while in Israeli detention.
Abu Safiya was arrested around 18 months ago during the Gaza war. Israel has accused him of having links to the Palestinian group Hamas.
Following a visit to Abu Safiya last Thursday, his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said his client’s health had deteriorated severely. The visit took place at the Rakefet underground interrogation facility inside Nitzan Prison.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel
The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights Israel and lawyer Odeh called for Abu Safiya to be transferred immediately from the facility and for an urgent judicial visit to assess his medical condition.
According to the rights group, Odeh said in a written statement that Abu Safiya was brought to the meeting with his hands and feet shackled and had severe recent injuries to his head, around his eyes, ears and neck, “to the extent that his lawyer initially struggled to recognise him.”
The organisation added that Abu Safiya was experiencing difficulty breathing and speaking continuously, and appeared to be in an extremely weak physical condition.
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