Gaza, Palestine – Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, is currently enduring severe mistreatment in Israeli custody, according to allegations made by his attorney, Ghaid Qassem. Qassem claims that Abu Safiya has been subjected to physical abuse, extended interrogations, and efforts to coerce a confession to charges she asserts are baseless.
During interviews, Qassem noted that she has managed only brief visits with Abu Safiya, with her most recent opportunities to see him being startlingly short and tightly controlled. She described the visible physical injuries he sustained, including harmed eyes, a damaged rib cage, and multiple fractures. Abu Safiya, she said, has been interrogated intensely at Sde Teiman prison, enduring sessions that have lasted upwards of 13 hours, during which he reportedly suffered physical assaults.
Despite being a pediatrician, with no surgical role at the hospital, Israeli claims against Abu Safiya include accusations of affiliation with a terrorist organization and conducting surgeries on combatants. His lawyer strongly denies these allegations, portraying them as part of a broader strategy to extract a forced confession.
Qassem also highlighted the severe toll the detention and alleged mistreatment are taking on Abu Safiya’s health, which she says is rapidly deteriorating. She described him enduring not just physical pain but also significant psychological distress, exacerbated by an irregular heartbeat and the deprivations associated with his confinement.
Continuing, Qassem accused Israeli authorities of withholding basic necessities from Abu Safiya as a method to break his resolve. She further mentioned that there could be plans to label him as an “unlawful combatant,” a status that would strip him of due process and could lead to indefinite detention, an outcome she fears considering the allegations of his involvement with terrorist activities.
In the broader context, this case sits within a pattern that numerous human rights organizations and legal representatives claim reflects a systematic approach aimed at breaking the spirit of Palestinian detainees. There are claims that many similar cases result in long-term detention without formal charges or trial—an application of what is known as administrative detention, affecting numerous Palestinians annually.
Qassem is calling for international intervention on behalf of Abu Safiya and others in similar predicaments, urging global actors to recognize and respond to what she asserts is a policy of oppression masked as procedural detention.
In cases such as these, where the facts are disputed and accounts from the ground indicate potential abuses, there is a clear need for transparent, international scrutiny to ascertain the truth and ensure justice. Accountability for alleged human rights violations must be pursued vigorously to uphold international law and human rights standards.
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