Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, is facing an immediate threat to his life in Israeli prison, Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights has warned.
The group's lawyer Nasser Odeh made the remarks after visiting Dr Abu Safiya at the underground Nitzan prison. He called for his immediate transfer and for an urgent judicial visit “before it is too late”.
Dr Abu Safiya, who was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024, has been held without a clear charge, accused of being a Hamas member. Both the group and Gaza's Health Ministry have denied the allegation.
Mr Odeh said he had visited Dr Abu Safiya several times since his detention but during the latest visit he “was not the same person I had previously met”.
“His physical and psychological state, the severe injuries visible on his body, and his personal testimony leave no room for doubt: his life is in immediate danger,” Mr Odeh warned.
He said Dr Abu Safiya faced difficulty breathing, and appeared weak and frightened. He told him he has been subjected to daily beating and denied medical treatment since his transfer to Nitzan prison on June 24.
He was brought to the meeting with his hands and feet shackled, escorted by masked prison guards, Mr Odeh said.
“This is the last time you will see me … they brought me here to kill me. I don't see myself surviving. This is the end,” Mr Odeh said Dr Abu Safiya had told him.
“The information we have received raises grave and immediate concerns for Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's life,” Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel said. The organisation has repeatedly called on Israel for access to prisoners or their transfer.
“If the authorities do not intervene immediately, there is a real risk that Dr Abu Safiya will not leave detention alive. We demand urgent action before it is too late.”
Israeli outlet Haaretz reported that the Israel Prisons Service said it operates in accordance with the law and under constant judicial review”.
Dr Abu Safiya is among 14 Palestinian doctors captured in Gaza by the Israeli military and detained for more than a year without charge – a common practice in Israel known as “administrative detention”.
