Israel Rejects Calls to Release Detained Gaza Hospital Director

The Israeli government is rejecting international demands for the release of Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, who has been detained without charge since December 27, 2024. The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry and Amnesty International have called for his immediate release, citing reports from legal counsel and physicians that Abu Safiya has been subjected to systemic starvation and torture with hammers and clubs at the Rakevet detention facility.

Israeli authorities, including the Israel Defense Forces, identify Abu Safiya as a Hamas colonel who converted his hospital into a terror hub and diverted humanitarian aid for militant use. The Embassy of Israel to the USA released a photograph of Abu Safiya in Hamas uniform to counter claims that he is a wrongly imprisoned healthcare worker. Israel's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva has denied torture allegations, stating his health is not life-threatening, and the Supreme Court of Israel recently rejected an appeal for his release based on confidential materials.

The situation extends to other medical staff, including vascular surgeon Hassan Khalil Almukayed, who has been detained since October 2024. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has petitioned the Supreme Court for the release of Almukayed and 14 other doctors, reporting a pattern of physical violence and medical neglect among Palestinian detainees. These developments follow an urgent appeal by Palestine’s permanent observer to the UN in Geneva regarding the broader targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers.