Lawyer Warns Detained Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya Is In Critical Condition

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Lawyer for a prominent lawyer Palestinian doctor kidnapped by Israeli forces He said 18 months ago that his client had been mistreated in captivity and was in critical condition, according to the human rights group that represented him.

Hussam Abu Safiya Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital He became the face of healthcare workers in the north of Gaza We have difficulty treating patients During the Israel-Hamas war.

Managed the facility 85-day siege of the Israeli armyHe posted videos of himself asking for help before his arrest in December 2024. No charges were brought against him.

The Israeli military said Abu Safiya, 53, was being investigated on suspicion of collaborating with or working for Hamas. Staff who worked with him and international aid groups deny the allegations.

Israeli Doctors for Human Rights and Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said Abu Safiya appeared extremely weak and had difficulty sitting upright during his visit on July 2. Odeh said he recently suffered head injuries to his eyes, ears and neck and was having trouble breathing.

Odeh and Israel Physicians for Human Rights said they petitioned to have Abu Safiya transferred to another facility.

Odeh said Abu Safiya was subjected to physical and psychological abuse and was kept in solitary confinement for long periods. He appeared before the Israeli Supreme Court last month He objected to his continued detention without charge.

Abu Safiya appeared briefly on video during this hearing; she looked pale and gaunt, and had eyelash-like marks on both arms.

The Israel Prison Service called the allegations “false and completely unfounded in facts.” The prison service declined to discuss the matter directly, citing privacy concerns, but said all inmates and detainees were being held in accordance with the law and were receiving medical care in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines.

“The Israel Prison Service denies allegations of abuse, torture, starvation or denial of medical treatment,” the prison agency said.

Israel has faced serious criticism for its treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees since the start of its war with Hamas in October 2023. human rights organizations And United Nations They alleged systematic patterns of abuse.

The number of Palestinians detained in Israel has increased since the start of the war, and thousands remain detained. Associated Press had previously reported About the harsh conditions in prisons.

The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when the Gaza-based militant group launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the region’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.