Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been unaccounted for some time. Now, his lawyer and testimony from his family and fellow prisoners is revealing a picture of brutal Israeli torture. Dr. Safiya was abducted by Israel’s forces along with other medical staff, and has been held without charge or trial. He’s also been denied access to legal representation until now.
Arbitrary detention
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights describes Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s arbitrary detention as follows:
When he was captured from Gaza and transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention camp, he was subjected to various forms of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment—methods that are emblematic of Israeli mass arrest operations in Gaza.
Information from Dr. Safiya’s lawyer revealed that:
He reported being forcibly stripped, having his hands tightly shackled, and being made to sit on sharp gravel for approximately five hours by Israeli forces. He was also subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings with batons and electric shock sticks, as well as repeated blows to the chest.
Just as many Palestinian hostages have been released looking emaciated and malnourished, it would appear that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been subject to the same treatment:
He also reported a severe decline in his health, with his weight dropping from 96 kg to 84 kg, a 12 kg loss in less than two months—further evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation policies against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The People’s Dispatch has reported on the increased instances of abuse in Israeli prisons:
In recent days, more testimonies from prisoners have emerged, documenting the torture and dehumanization in Israeli detention centers. These reports detail widely known procedures such as blindfolding detainees, exposing them to prolonged loud and screeching noises, and subjecting them to physical and sexual abuse.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya: ongoing torture
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s family have used his X account to provide an update on his situation:
My father was subjected to severe mistreatment and torture by the army in the early days of his arrest and was held in solitary confinement for 24 days.
They also reiterated that there have been no charges brought:
Regarding his legal case, it is clean, and there are no charges against him. All the accusations attributed to him have been denied due to a lack of evidence, and the case is clear. There is also a possibility of his release in the coming stages, as there are no charges against him from the Israeli public prosecution.
Dr. Safiya’s lawyer said there was no “legal justification” for his arrest and:
any accusation needs evidence and as long as there is no evidence, there is no real complete accusation against Doctor Hussam.
It is no accident that Israel is targeting medical professionals, journalists, and anyone else who can tell the world about Israeli brutality. As Al Jazeera reported:
Abu Safia, who had documented the cruel impact of Israel’s offensive on Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested after refusing multiple military threats to leave the hospital during a devastating blockade on the northern Gaza Strip.
More missing
In their statement, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s family also wrote:
He urges the world to help secure his release and the release of all detained healthcare personnel from all hospitals.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh pointed out:
At least his family now knows where he is and that he is alive, unlike potentially thousands of others who the UN said have been forcibly disappeared from Gaza.
There has been widespread pressure from people initially asking where Dr. Safiya had been taken. As reports come in from other prisoners, his family, and lawyer it is clear that Dr. Safiya is one of many who have been abducted, arbitrarily detained, and tortured.
Media outlets across the UK should be covering Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s abduction, and the abduction of others in Palestine by Israeli forces. What is the media for, if not to be able to put pressure on governments who are choosing not to intervene?
However, nobody will be surprised to hear that there has been little mainstream media coverage of Dr. Safiya’s torture. The likes of Al Jazeera, Middle East Monitor, Democracy Now, and Skwawkbox, and of course the Canary, have been following Dr. Safiya’s disappearance. Amnesty International, Medical Aid for Palestine, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and other rights groups have been calling for his safe release.
The thing is, we can, and will, keep reporting on Israel abducting and disappearing Palestinians. We’ll keep amplifying human rights workers who do the same. But, what difference does it make if mainstream media continue to turn their faces away from bloodshed that they support? What difference does it make if the governments who prop up Zionists continue to look away from the blood on their hands?
This is the least we can do, and we’ll keep doing it. But it is nevertheless a terrifying thought that there are so many more Palestinians like Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who are unknown to us but are still being abducted, arbitrarily detained, and tortured by Israel.
Featured image via the Canary
