Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian paediatrician and neonatologist who served as director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has reportedly faced continued abuse in detention by the Israeli occupation. During a legal visit on August 30, Abu Safiya told his lawyer that prison guards had continued to beat him in recent weeks, including targeting sensitive areas of his body. He also reported being deprived of sleep and threatened against revealing the conditions of his detention to his lawyer. The allegations were reported by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, which said the latest testimony indicates that the pattern of abuse against the doctor is continuing.
Abu Safiya is far more than an ordinary detained medical worker. As director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, he became one of the most prominent medical figures in northern Gaza and a highly visible representative of the territory’s healthcare workers during the genocide in Gaza. He led the hospital while it continued treating patients amid shortages of medicines, medical equipment, fuel and other essential supplies. Amnesty International has described him as a prominent voice of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector and highlighted his continued work caring for children and other patients despite the collapse of much of the territory’s medical infrastructure.
The latest allegations provide further details about the treatment Abu Safiya says he has endured. According to an affidavit filed by his lawyer following the August 30 visit, he said guards had beaten him with their hands, boots and batons and that the assaults were directed at several parts of his body, including sensitive areas. He also said guards deliberately disrupted his sleep by making noise and using the prison public-address system during the night. Following an earlier visit by his lawyer, Abu Safiya reportedly said he was assaulted and warned not to disclose information about his detention conditions.
These allegations are particularly significant because they concern a doctor whose detention has already been accompanied by previous reports of mistreatment and deteriorating health. Earlier accounts from his legal representatives described physical abuse and serious health concerns during his detention. In July 2026, his lawyer said Abu Safiya’s condition had deteriorated significantly after months in detention, while Physicians for Human Rights Israel called for an independent medical examination.
Abu Safiya was detained in December 2024 after Israeli occupation forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital. He had remained at the facility while it was operating under extremely difficult conditions and continued carrying out his medical responsibilities. Amnesty International says he has been arbitrarily detained since his arrest and has called for his immediate and unconditional release.
The latest allegations have also raised renewed concerns over his access to independent medical care. Physicians for Human Rights Israel said an independent examination has been repeatedly delayed despite Abu Safiya’s transfer to a prison medical facility. The organisation said his medical condition requires further assessment and treatment and argued that the continuing reports of harm make an independent examination increasingly urgent.
His case has attracted international concern because of both his prominence within Gaza’s medical community and the wider detention of Palestinian healthcare workers. UN experts have called for his immediate release and urged that he receive independent medical care. His detention has also become part of legal efforts concerning other detained Gaza doctors, with Physicians for Human Rights Israel pursuing action seeking the release of 14 Palestinian doctors, including Abu Safiya.
The Israeli occupation has rejected allegations concerning Abu Safiya’s treatment and maintains that his detention is lawful. Israeli authorities have also alleged that he has links to Hamas (resistance), an allegation that has been disputed. Meanwhile, the latest claims of beatings, sleep deprivation and threats have been presented by Abu Safiya through his lawyer and reported by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, making independent medical assessment and outside scrutiny central demands of rights organisations.
Abu Safiya’s case therefore extends beyond the detention of one doctor. As the former director of one of northern Gaza’s most important hospitals, he became one of the most recognisable figures of Gaza’s medical community during the genocide in Gaza. His continued detention and the latest allegations against him have intensified concerns over the treatment of Palestinian healthcare workers and the broader condition of Gaza’s healthcare system. Rights organisations continue to call for his release, independent medical examination and greater international scrutiny of his detention.
