Detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya appears during a video link from Israeli custody. Photo: Reuters
Detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya has reported continued beatings, sleep deprivation and threats in Israeli custody, the Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners said on Thursday, September 3, citing a new message conveyed through his lawyer.
Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, said prison guards beat him on various parts of his body, including sensitive areas, using their hands, feet and batons. He said guards also deprived him of sleep by making noise and using loudspeakers at night.
He further reported being assaulted after an earlier visit by his lawyer and warned not to disclose information about the conditions of his detention.
The centre said the account raised serious concerns about his safety, particularly because the reported assault following the lawyer’s visit suggested an attempt to prevent him from speaking about his treatment in custody.
It said Abu Safiya had previously suffered injuries to his head, face and other parts of his body. Prison records also documented an injury to his left eye and complaints relating to head and chest injuries.
The centre said the continued mistreatment despite those injuries added to concerns over his health, citing reports of medical neglect and denial of treatment inside Israeli prisons.
It also said his case reflected broader concerns over the treatment of detained Palestinian doctors and health workers, including reports of starvation, isolation and restricted contact with families and lawyers.
The centre called for the reported assaults to stop and demanded that Abu Safiya be given access to necessary examinations and treatment, as well as the ability to communicate with his lawyer without threats or retaliation. It also urged the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization and international rights and medical bodies to intervene and support an independent investigation.
Abu Safiya has been held by Israel since December 27, 2024, when Israeli forces entered Kamal Adwan Hospital during a military operation and took him into custody.
The arrest followed months of military operations around the northern Gaza hospital, where Abu Safiya had continued treating patients despite extensive damage to the facility. He was injured during an Israeli operation targeting the hospital in November 2024, according to Palestinian authorities, but remained at work. His son was killed in an earlier Israeli attack in October that year.
Israeli authorities later classified him as an “unlawful combatant”, his legal team said, a designation that can permit detention without a formal indictment. Rights groups say he has remained in custody without charge or trial and was transferred to solitary confinement in June 2026.
Physicians for Human Rights separately said it was seeking permission for an independent doctor to examine Abu Safiya. The organisation said a July 7 request to allow an internist to examine him was denied, leading to a petition being filed with an Israeli administrative court.
The Israeli Prison Service subsequently requested more time to respond. Physicians for Human Rights said the examination should be permitted without further delay.
According to information provided by Abu Safiya, he was transferred on August 10 from the underground Rakefet detention facility, where he had been held in isolation, to the Israeli Prison Service’s medical centre at Ramla Prison. He spent about a week there and underwent several examinations that identified a number of health concerns, the organisation said.
In a separate legal development, the Israeli Supreme Court gave authorities until September 13 to clarify whether a request to release 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza, including Abu Safiya, had been specifically considered, according to Physicians for Human Rights.
The organisation said the court asked whether the Israeli Chief of Staff, or an authorised official, had considered exercising discretionary powers to release the doctors in light of their medical profession and requested clarification on who made such a decision, if those powers had been exercised.
This post was last modified on September 4, 2026 12:31 pm