Israel has ordered the indefinite detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, under a law allowing imprisonment without charges or due process.
An Israeli army official has issued an order to detain Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, under the country’s “Unlawful Combatants Law” allowing indefinite detention without charges or due process, a Palestinian rights group reported.
“Our lawyer has been informed that the Commander of the Southern Command of the Israeli army has issued an order to detain Dr. Abu Safiya under the Unlawful Combatants Law,” the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement on Friday.
Lawyers from Al-Mezan Center @AlMezanCenter representing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, had their first contact with him on Tuesday after the ban on visitations was lifted. He told them he was tortured with electric shocks and is being denied needed… pic.twitter.com/0M6LbCuFVZ
— Translating Falasteen (Palestine) (@translatingpal) February 13, 2025
“This law enables prolonged detention without charges, stripping detainees of any meaningful judicial review or due process rights,” the Gaza-based rights group explained.
It said that since October 2023, Israeli authorities have extensively used this legal framework to arbitrarily detain thousands of Palestinian residents of Gaza.
Dr. Abu Safiya was forcibly taken, along with several medical staff, patients and civilians, from Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 27, 2024.
Possibility of Indefinite Extensions
“Under the current amendments, detainees must wait 45 days for the Be’er Sheva District Court to ratify the detention order. Once ratified, detention lasts six months, with the possibility of indefinite extensions,” Al Mezan stated.
On Tuesday a lawyer from the rights group met with Dr. Abu Safiya for the first time since he was detained.
🚨 Update on Dr. Abu Safiya
Our lawyer has been informed that the Commander of the Southern Command of the Israeli army has issued an order to detain Dr. Abu Safiya under the Unlawful Combatants Law.
This law enables prolonged detention without charges, stripping detainees of…
— Al-Mezan الميزان (@AlMezanCenter) February 14, 2025
The doctor revealed that he had been subjected to “torture and abuse” including being held in solitary confinement for 25 days at the Ofer Prison, “a period so prolonged a period so prolonged as to constitute a form of torture in itself.”
Solitary Confinement
Dr. Abu Safiya explained that he was initially taken to the Sde Teiman military detention camp where he was “forcibly stripped, having his hands shackled, and being made to sit on sharp gravel for approximately five hours by Israeli forces.”
He was also subjected “to severe physical abuse, including beatings with batons and electric shock sticks, as well as repeated blows to the chest,” the statement said.
‘Forcibly Stripped’ – Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Details Torture in Israeli Detention
On January 9, 2025, the doctor was transferred to Ofer Prison where he was held in solitary confinement for 25 days of which he endured “nearly continuous interrogation for 10 days.”
At one point, the rights group said, he lost consciousness in his cell due to severe breathing difficulties.
‘Systematic Starvation Policies’
The doctor also reported a severe decline in his health, with his weight dropping from 96 kg to 84 kg, a 12 kg loss in less than two months.
This is “further evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation policies against Palestinian prisoners and detainees,” said Al Mezan.
‘I’ve Been Humiliated’ – Freed Detainees Recount Meeting with Dr. Abu Safiya
In addition, Dr. Abu Safiya disclosed that he suffers from heart muscle enlargement.
Despite “repeatedly requesting medical attention” from Israeli authorities, “he has been systematically denied access to a specialist examination and deprived of essential care, further endangering his already deteriorating condition,” the organization stressed.
“We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya, as well as all Palestinians who have been illegally arrested and arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities, including medical workers,” Al Mezan said in its latest statement.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
