An Israeli court has upheld a six-month detention order against Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, without presenting formal charges.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was kidnapped by Israeli forces from Kamal Adwan Hospital in December 2024 after vague accusations that he was a member of Hamas and was allowing the hospital to be used for “terrorist activity.”
However, no credible evidence has been publicly provided to substantiate these allegations.
According to the Prisoners’ Information Office, the Beersheba court ruled to keep Abu Safiya imprisoned under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law.
The law allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians indefinitely without trial, often based on undisclosed evidence.
Dr. Abu Safiya, 52, was arrested in December when Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, which was struggling to function under heavy bombardment.
Soldiers removed him at gunpoint as the hospital was being destroyed, leaving it non-operational.
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Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals in Gaza, claiming they are used by fighters — a charge Palestinian officials and humanitarian groups deny.
International attention
Dr Abu Safiya was forcibly removed at gunpoint after the Israeli forces stormed the hospital, set it on fire, and rendered it non-operational, effectively shutting down one of the last functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza.
Prior to his detention, he had been a prominent figure documenting Israeli attacks on the hospital and appealing to the international community for intervention, particularly after enduring personal losses — his son was killed in an Israeli drone strike at the hospital in October 2024, and he himself was injured in a November 2024 airstrike but refused to abandon his post.
Human rights organizations, such as Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, have described his detention as arbitrary and retaliatory, suggesting it may be linked to his refusal to evacuate the hospital and his vocal criticism of Israeli actions.
His arrest occurred amid Israel’s systematic targeting of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, with numerous hospitals attacked and healthcare workers detained or killed since October 2023.
This has led to speculation that his detention could be part of a strategy to dismantle medical services in Gaza and silence those who resist or expose such actions.
His family and legal representatives say he has faced severe mistreatment in Israeli custody.
Calls for his release continue as Israel’s use of administrative detention, which allows imprisonment without trial, remains under scrutiny.
More than 9,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, many without formal charges.
‘Secret Evidence’
Dr. Abu Safiya’s case highlights Israel’s increasing use of classified evidence to justify the prolonged detention of Palestinians.
Under the Unlawful Combatants Law, detainees can be held without formal charges or trial, with Israeli courts routinely accepting secret files from military prosecutors.
These files, not disclosed to defence lawyers, prevent detainees from challenging the allegations against them.
Legal experts argue that this practice violates fundamental principles of due process under international law.
Many human rights groups have criticised the Israeli judiciary for enabling arbitrary detentions, describing the court system as an extension of Israel’s military occupation rather than an independent legal body.
The continued use of secret evidence also raises concerns about the targeting of Gaza’s medical personnel.
Rights groups warn that such arrests are part of a wider effort to dismantle Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, which has already been decimated by repeated attacks on hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff.
