Dr. Hussam Abu Safia was abducted by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024 from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, one of the last functioning medical facilities at the time. According to Al Jazeera, Israel has destroyed or damaged nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and killed hundreds of medics in an effort to cripple the enclave’s healthcare system.

Abu Safia’s Ongoing Torture

On August 30, Abu Safia’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, visited him at the Rakefet detention facility inside Nitzan Prison, as reported by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI). According to Odeh, Abu Safia said Israeli prison guards continue to beat him, deprive him of sleep, and threaten him against sharing the conditions of his detention with his lawyer. These reports align with Amnesty International’s findings that Palestinian detainees often face similar ill-treatment at the hands of Israeli forces.

International Calls for Action

Amnesty International has raised concerns about the treatment of Abu Safia and other Palestinian detainees, noting that U.S. assistance may be funding units of a foreign security force implicated in gross human rights violations. The organization shared this research with the U.S. State Department in July 2024. Due to the closure of the Human Rights Reporting Gateway, Amnesty has publicly called for the U.S. to intervene and secure the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safia.

Amnesty also urged the U.S. to review its security assistance for Leahy violations and ensure that Abu Safia is fully protected from further abuse, but the organization called for adequate access to medical care, food, and hygiene for him and all other Palestinian detainees. Independent monitors, including the International Committee for the Red Cross, must be granted access to him, according to the report.

Legal and Health Concerns

A United Nations inquiry in July 2024 said Abu Safia faced “continued and severe abuse.” In August 2024, the director general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health called for urgent action to “save” the jailed doctor’s life. An Israeli court has also ruled to keep Abu Safia in detention without charge, but Campaigners and the doctor’s family have consistently highlighted his deteriorating physical condition in prison and called for his release.

Abu Safia’s lawyer has stated that his life is at imminent risk due to torture and denial of adequate medical care; his situation has drawn attention from international human rights organizations and has become a focal point for global advocacy efforts. As the case continues, calls for transparency and accountability grow stronger, with demands for independent investigations into the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.