Israeli authorities must immediately release the arbitrarily detained Palestinian paediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Amnesty International said today, amidst reports from a lawyer who visited him that there is an imminent threat to his life as a result of torture and other ill treatment he has been suffering while in Israeli custody.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has been arbitrarily detained in Israeli jails for over 18 months – without charge or trial – since 27 December 2024, when he was arrested while on duty at his hospital in Gaza City.
“The details emerging about the deteriorating conditions of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s detention are truly horrifying. We are deeply alarmed by the reports from his lawyer indicating that his life is at imminent risk amidst his ongoing unlawful detention. It is unconscionable that a paediatrician, who has dedicated his life to saving others in the occupied Gaza Strip, is being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment – including severe physical and psychological abuse and prolonged solitary confinement – while being detained without any justification,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.
