Above photo: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. EuroMed Human Rights Monitor.
In his first meeting with a lawyer since December 2024, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya confirmed fears of torture and medical neglect in Israeli prison.
After multiple postponements by the Israeli occupation, Kamal Adwan Hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was finally allowed to see a lawyer. The visit confirmed suspicions about the torture he has endured since his arbitrary imprisonment at the end of December 2024. According to reports from Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Dr. Abu Safiya suffered the same methods of torture inflicted by Israeli forces on all Palestinian prisoners, including having his hands tightly shackled and being forced to kneel and sit on gravel for hours.
“He was also subjected to severe physical abuse,” the organization reported, “including beatings with batons and electric shock sticks, as well as repeated blows to the chest.” Similar beatings reported by other prisoners have caused long-lasting health issues, including limb fractures, breathing difficulties and chest pain. Despite this, and disregarding requests for medical assistance, Israeli guards and soldiers largely deny prisoners access to healthcare. This neglect also applies to Dr. Abu Safiya, who suffers from high blood pressure and heart muscle enlargement. He told Al-Mezan that he has been “systematically denied access to a specialist examination and deprived of essential care,” despite repeatedly requesting it.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s family reported that he has since been granted access to some medical care but remains undernourished, receiving only one meal of low nutritional value per day, and is feeling the consequences of prolonged solitary confinement. Both Al-Mezan and his family warned that Abu Safiya had been isolated from other prisoners for 25 days after being transferred from Sde Teiman camp to Ofer prison. This, as stated by Al-Mezan, constitutes a form of torture in itself.
Mirroring the experiences of other prisoners, Dr. Abu Safiya was subjected to prolonged interrogations, during which he resolutely denied all accusations, emphasizing that he is a health worker dedicated to protecting the lives and well-being of his patients. Social media and legal reports indicate that no formal charges have been raised against him by Israeli authorities, yet he remains imprisoned, under threat of illness and starvation, like thousands of other Palestinians.
In recent days, more testimonies from prisoners have emerged, documenting the torture and dehumanization in Israeli detention centers. These reports detail widely known procedures such as blindfolding detainees, exposing them to prolonged loud and screeching noises, and subjecting them to physical and sexual abuse. They also highlight the severe impact of Israel’s denial of basic hygiene necessities, such as soap and clean clothing, on prisoners’ health.
An update published on February 12 by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society and the Commission of Detainees Affairs provided further details on the spread of skin diseases due to the unhygienic conditions imposed by occupation forces. “Scabies skin disease has…infested in many prisons, with the prison administrations systematically refusing to treat the issue,” the organizations stated. Conditions have deteriorated so severely that, according to the report, two prisoners killed during the genocide—Mohamed Munir Mousa and Motaz Abu Znaid—died as a result of the disease.
Following Dr. Abu Safiya’s meeting with his lawyer, Palestinian and international organizations reiterated their demands for his immediate release. “We urge the international community—particularly Israel’s enabling allies—to take immediate action to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya, as well as all Palestinians who have been unlawfully arrested and arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities, including hundreds of healthcare workers,” Al-Mezan stated.
