Detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya alleges torture in Israeli custody

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was seized by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024 during a raid that Israel said targeted Hamas command sites. He has been held in administrative detention without formal charges, with the detention repeatedly renewed every six months.

Abu Safiya’s lawyer says the doctor has suffered severe physical abuse in prison, including beatings with sticks and hand‑cuffs, loss of consciousness, extreme weight loss of about 40 kg, and visible bruises. Photographs released by his defense team show him emaciated. He was transferred in June to the underground Rakefet detention facility, which human‑rights groups say lacks daylight and violates international humanitarian law.

German Bundestag members from the SPD, Greens and Left submitted a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging immediate humanitarian and rule‑of‑law measures to protect Dr. Abu Safiya and other detained medical staff. International media outlets, including the BBC and The Guardian, have highlighted the case, prompting calls for independent investigations into alleged torture and the broader use of administrative detention in the occupied territories.