Palestine calls for urgent international action to free detained Gaza hospital director

Palestine's mission to the UN called Monday for urgent international action to secure the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, warning that his health has deteriorated severely in Israeli custody.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Palestine's permanent observer to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi, sent an urgent appeal to the UN and several international humanitarian organizations calling for Abu Safiya's immediate release.

Khraishi said the physician has been held without charge or trial since Dec. 27, 2024, and has been subjected to torture, solitary confinement, ill-treatment and denial of adequate medical care.

He said UN special rapporteurs and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel had documented Abu Safiya's torture and warned that his deteriorating condition placed his life at imminent risk, calling for his immediate and unconditional release.

Khraishi said Abu Safiya's case reflected a broader pattern of attacks on Palestinian healthcare workers, stressing that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally bound under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions to protect medical personnel.

He urged the international community to secure the immediate and safe release of Abu Safiya and all arbitrarily detained Palestinian healthcare workers, ensure they receive independent medical care, allow humanitarian and rights organizations access to detention facilities, and take legal and diplomatic measures to end the violations and hold those responsible accountable.

Israeli forces detained Abu Safiya during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Dec. 27, 2024, after laying siege to the facility.

He appeared visibly emaciated during a court hearing via video link on June 10, prompting renewed concern over his condition.

According to Palestinian prisoners' groups, Israel currently holds around 9,500 Palestinian detainees, including 350 children, 99 women and 3,244 administrative detainees, amid accusations of torture, starvation and medical neglect.

Gaza has been devastated by Israel's genocidal war since Oct. 8, 2023, with more than 73,000 Palestinians killed and over 173,000 injured, according to Palestinian figures. Israeli attacks have also damaged or destroyed about 91% of the enclave's infrastructure.