JAFFA, (PIC)
An Israeli court has extended the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, without leveling charges against him, a rights group said.
Abu Safiya, a pediatric consultant, was detained on December 27, 2024, when Israeli forces raided the hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahia, kidnaping him at gunpoint after the facility was destroyed and rendered out of service.
“The Beersheba district court approved Tuesday morning the extension of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s detention under the ‘unlawful combatants law’ without filing any charges, and rejected the defense’s request for his immediate release,” Israel’s Physicians for Human Rights (PHR-I) said in a statement.
The unlawful combatants law allows the Israeli occupation regime to detain Palestinians from Gaza for prolonged periods without trial or indictment.
“The court upheld the detention despite arguments that detaining a doctor while performing his medical duties constitutes unlawful detention,” PHR-I said.
According to PHR-I, Dr. Abu Safiya is currently held in Negev jail under harsh incarceration conditions, without access to his medication or medical treatment.
Israel continues to detain Dr. Abu Safiya despite his repeated denial of being involved in any activity outside his medical profession, ignoring calls from rights groups demanding his immediate release.
