Israel claims Gaza hospital chief Hussam Abu Safiya ‘lawfully detained’ despite UN alarm
GENEVA: Israel said on Friday that the detention of a Gaza hospital director, who has been held since December 2024, was “lawful,” and rejected reports that he suffered a life-threatening condition.
Hussam Abu Safiya “is lawfully detained by Israel based on concrete intelligence,” Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said on X, accusing him of being a colonel in Hamas.
“At no stage of his detention has he exhibited any indication of a life-threatening condition.”
The statement came after a United Nations investigative team and several UN rights experts this week raised the alarm about the case.
