Israeli Supreme Court leaves Gaza doctor held without charges
Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, remains detained under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law after his latest appeal was rejected.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected another appeal by Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia, leaving the Gaza hospital director in detention without criminal charges, Al Jazeera reported. The ruling keeps a prominent medical figure from northern Gaza jailed under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law after more than 500 days in custody, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel.
Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been held since Israeli forces captured him in Gaza in late 2024, according to Al Jazeera. PHRI said Tuesday that he remains in solitary confinement at Nafha Prison and is being denied necessary medical care, citing information from his lawyer, Nasser Odeh.
The doctor appeared by video link last week to seek immediate release, Al Jazeera reported. His family said the footage showed visible signs of torture, and the outlet said he appeared noticeably thinner.
Held under wartime detention law
The court’s decision allows Israeli authorities to continue holding Abu Safia under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which the Palestinian Centre for Prisoners Advocacy said has been used against him without an indictment or presented charges. The centre condemned the decision in a statement Tuesday.
The advocacy group said it held Israeli authorities responsible for Abu Safia’s life and safety. It called for his release, urgent medical treatment and an end to what it described as arbitrary detention of medical and humanitarian workers.
The centre also urged international bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization and United Nations special rapporteurs, to press Israel to end his detention.
Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at PHRI, criticized the court’s ruling in a statement. He said the continued detention of a hospital director in solitary confinement, while his medical conditions are not receiving proper treatment, amounted to a serious legal and moral failure.
A doctor known during Gaza hospital attacks
Before his detention, Abu Safia became widely known through video messages appealing for international action to stop Israeli attacks on medical facilities, Al Jazeera reported. He stayed at Kamal Adwan Hospital despite Israeli orders for people to leave the area, continuing to treat patients, according to the outlet.
Al Jazeera also reported that Abu Safia led the funeral procession for his son Ibrahim, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike at the hospital gate.
The Supreme Court ruling leaves Abu Safia in prison with no criminal case announced against him, according to PHRI and the Palestinian Centre for Prisoners Advocacy. Those groups say his detention highlights the use of wartime powers against medical personnel in Gaza.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.