In a chilling development amid the ongoing siege on Gaza, the director of one of the strip’s few functioning hospitals has been detained by Israeli forces and taken to a notorious prison. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who kept the Kamal Adwan hospital running for 11 weeks under unimaginable circumstances, is now feared to be seriously injured in Israeli custody.
A Vital Lifeline Shut Down
The Kamal Adwan hospital, located in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, served as a critical lifeline for Palestinians trapped in the besieged area. For nearly three months, Dr. Abu Safiya and his skeleton crew of medical staff worked tirelessly to treat the wounded and ill, even as Israeli attacks battered the surrounding neighborhoods.
But now, the hospital lies empty and abandoned. During a raid on the facility, Israeli soldiers detained Dr. Abu Safiya along with an unknown number of other personnel. According to the doctor’s son, Idrees Abu Safiya, his father was taken to the Sde Teiman prison with an injured leg.
“We are so worried, we haven’t been able to sleep for three days because we didn’t know until today where he is,” said Idrees Abu Safiya.
– Son of detained Gaza doctor
A Black Site With a Dark Reputation
Sde Teiman, the detention camp where Dr. Abu Safiya is reportedly being held, has a horrific reputation. The United Nations has referred to reports of torture and sexual violence at the prison as “grossly illegal and revolting.”
Other medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital are also believed to be in detention, though their exact locations are unknown. Eid Sabbah, the head nurse, said many personnel were rounded up and taken to a wedding hall and school before being moved.
Hundreds of Health Workers Detained
Dr. Abu Safiya’s case is tragically not unique. Israel has detained hundreds of Palestinian health workers in Gaza without charge or trial since last October. The Palestinian health ministry says over 1,000 medical personnel have been killed in the same time period.
Humanitarian organizations are calling for the immediate release of all detained health workers. The World Health Organization said it was “appalled” by the raid on Kamal Adwan hospital, which has left northern Gaza without a properly functioning medical center.
“Israel has detained hundreds of Palestinian healthcare workers from Gaza without charge or trial. Health workers have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and been held in incommunicado detention.”
– Amnesty International
Trapped in a Humanitarian Catastrophe
For the Palestinians in Gaza, Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention is yet another crushing blow in an escalating humanitarian disaster. Trapped by a crippling blockade and under relentless Israeli bombardment, access to healthcare was already critically comprised. Now, one of their only remaining hospitals has been forced to shut down entirely.
As the international community continues to condemn Israeli actions in Gaza as disproportionate and indiscriminate, stories like that of Dr. Abu Safiya cast an ugly spotlight on the human toll. Depriving civilians of access to medical care is a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
An Urgent Plea for Help
Idrees Abu Safiya is now pleading for international rights groups to help secure his father’s release from Israeli detention. With reports of abuse rampant at Sde Teiman prison and fears that Dr. Abu Safiya may have serious injuries, the need for action is urgent.
But the young man’s desperate appeal is also a damning indictment of the world’s inaction in the face of Palestinian suffering. For 11 weeks, his father put his own life on the line to uphold his medical oath and serve a community in crisis. That commitment has now landed him behind bars in an Israeli prison, his fate uncertain.
“We are so worried, we haven’t been able to sleep for three days because we didn’t know until today where he is,” said Idrees Abu Safiya, the detained doctor’s son.
– Son’s desperate plea
As the Gaza siege grinds on and the death toll ticks mercilessly upward, the plight of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is a tragic reminder of the human lives caught in the balance. His story is a wrenching glimpse behind the statistics, bringing into devastating focus the real and ruinous costs of sanctioned state violence against an oppressed people.
