Gaza hospt. chief held in inhumane condition by 'Israel', lawyer says
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Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, is enduring severe mistreatment and torture in Israeli detention, where he's being held under unsubstantiated claims of Hamas affiliation.
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Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, checks on an injured child on 24 October in north Gaza. (AFP)
The director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital, detained by Israeli forces in December, is being held in inhumane conditions and faces physical and psychological intimidation, his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.
Hussam Abu Safiya, a 52-year-old pediatrician, gained attention last year for documenting the desperate conditions in his besieged Beit Lahia hospital during "Israel's" large-scale military operation, before Israeli forces stormed the facility on December 27, accusing it of being a Hamas "terrorist center," and detaining Abu Safiya along with dozens of medical staff.
The Israeli Occupation Army accused the doctor of being a "Hamas operative".
On March 19, after months of detention, Abu Safiya's lawyer, Gheed Qassem, finally gained access to visit the detained doctor in Ofer prison, located in the occupied West Bank.
"He is suffering greatly, he is exhausted from the torture, the pressure, and the humiliation he has endured to force him to confess to acts he did not commit," Qassem told AFP.
Following an initial two-week detention period at the Sde Teiman military base in Israel's Negev desert, where Palestinian detainees are routinely held, Abu Safiya was moved to Ofer prison, a facility housing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under Israeli custody.
The Palestinian doctor was subjected to brutal interrogations in Sde Teiman, which included "beatings, mistreatment, and torture," before being transferred to a cramped cell in the Ofer prison, where he stayed for 25 days and was also subject to questioning, according to his lawyer.
Safiya's health deteriorating
According to Qassem, Israeli authorities have classified the medic as an "illegal combatant" indefinitely, while the military has declared his case confidential, preventing Abu Safiya's defense team from accessing any of the case files.
The lawyer condemned the severe visitation restrictions that are being enforced, including prohibitions on sharing any information about current events, calendar dates, or even the physical location where detainees are being held. Qassem reported that her heavily monitored visit with Abu Safiya was abruptly cut short after just 17 minutes.
Qassem expressed grave concern about Abu Safiya's deteriorating health, detailing how he suffers from arterial tension, cardiac arrhythmia, and vision problems, having lost 20 kilos in just two months while enduring fractured ribs during interrogations without receiving adequate medical treatment.
Despite maintaining his composure, the doctor continued to question what alleged crime could justify his harsh treatment under what he describes as inhumane conditions, Qassem told AFP.
The lawyer highlighted that Abu Safiya's jailers persistently pressured him to confess to operating on Hamas members or Israeli hostages during his time in Gaza, accusations he firmly denies despite the severe questioning.
Qassem stressed that the doctor maintains he was solely acting as a pediatrician, performing his medical duties under moral and professional obligations to care for patients and the wounded.
She also revealed that numerous detainees have been held without formal charges or trials, with their lawyers frequently left unaware of their clients’ whereabouts during the initial months of the conflict.
