Kamal Adwan Hospital chief ‘starved, tortured, isolated’ in Israeli jail

(Photo credit: Al-Jazeera)

At the time, they said his legal case was collapsing due to Israel’s failure to present credible evidence. They expressed hope that he would eventually be released as part of a prisoner exchange agreement.

The director is currently in an underground cell with no exposure to sunlight.

Israel has destroyed or severely damaged 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip since the start of the genocidal war in October 2023, with airstrikes, shelling, and ground raids in the medical facilities carried out by troops.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said on 14 July that 360 medical personnel have been detained by Israel since the start of the war, calling for immediate intervention “to criminalize the occupation's practices against detained medical personnel and pressure them to release them.”

“The medical personnel imprisoned in the occupation's prisons are living under tragic and difficult conditions,” the statement added.

Kamal Adwan Hospital chief ‘starved, tortured, isolated’ in Israeli jail

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The condition of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of north Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital who was abducted by Israeli forces at the end of last year, has continued to deteriorate, his lawyer said on 14 July.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, seen from inside detention (Photo: Social media).

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Dr. Abu Safiya doctor is being held in an underground cell, deprived of sunlight, while he endures starvation and torture, his lawyer said in a statement.

Detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya has suffered severe beatings in Israeli detention in addition to being denied medical care despite suffering from an irregular heartbeat, according to his lawyer.

In a statement on Monday, Ghaida Qasem, said Dr. Abu Safiya has lost over 40 kilograms since his detention by Israeli forces in December last year from the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza.

At the time of his abduction, he weighed 100 kg, but currently weighs 60 kg, Qasem said.

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Lawyer of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, currently imprisoned by Israel, wrote: Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya is not okay. My last visit to him was on July 9, 2025. He has lost over 40 kilograms — more than one-third of his body weight. At the time of his arrest, he weighed 100 kg — today, he weighs no more than 60 kg. On June 24, 2025, he was severely beaten. His room (Room 1, Section 24 – Ofer Prison) was specifically raided. He was brutally assaulted in the chest area and sustained severe bruises to the face, head, back, and neck. The beating lasted approximately 30 minutes. Dr. Hossam requested medical care, proper testing, and to be examined by a cardiologist — but his request was denied. He suffers from irregular heartbeat. His eyeglasses, which had recently been sent to him through his lawyer, were broken. He is still wearing winter clothes while enduring starvation, torture, solitary confinement, and total deprivation — buried underground, with no exposure to sunlight. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, like all Palestinian detainees, is not okay. #Hossam_Abu_Safiya

Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده on X: "Lawyer of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, currently imprisoned by Israel, wrote: Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya is not okay. My last visit to him was on July 9, 2025. He has lost over 40 kilograms — more than one-third of his body weight. At the time of his arrest, he weighed 100 kg — today, he https://t.co/UElaH9ANi6" / X

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The footage broadcast by Israeli media of our father, Dr. Husam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, is yet another form of psychological terrorism, adding to the torture he has endured over the past two months. It also reflects clear media distortion through the manipulation and alteration of his statements. When asked about the Israeli prisoners, he responded that he is a pediatrician. However, his answer was deliberately rephrased and distorted, despite him completely denying all accusations made against him. We, the family of Dr. Husam Abu Safiya, reject any media outlet publishing the video without addressing the psychological terrorism involved and exposing the manipulation of his statements. The sight of our father shackled and unable to move should prompt immediate and continuous action to ensure his immediate release.

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Source: https://x.com/HussamAbuSafiya/status/1892291420561584242

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On June 24, he was subjected to severe beatings that lasted around half an hour, targeting his chest, face, head and neck.

Israeli authorities have “denied him essential medication, treatment, and access to a specialist doctor, despite his suffering from an irregular heartbeat.”

Held in “an underground cell deprived of sunlight,” the statement noted, Dr. Abu Safiya “remains in winter clothing,” while enduring “starvation, torture, and isolation.”

Dedicated Physician

Dr. Abu Safiya, a specialist in pediatrics and neonatology and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was abducted along with other medical staff and patients after Israeli forces laid siege to the hospital before raiding it. Under his leadership, staff provided care to patients under relentless bombardment and amid dire shortages of medicine, equipment, and electricity.

For months, he had appealed to the world, including the UN, to intervene in ending Israel’s ongoing assault on the enclave. His son was killed by the Israeli army in October 2024.

In an interview with Al Jazeera last week, his wife, Lina Abu Safiya, described her husband as a dedicated physician who refused to leave his patients, despite being offered a rare opportunity to escape the besieged enclave.

“He could have joined me in Kazakhstan,” Lina said, referring to her country of origin, “but he told me he could not abandon his patients or his colleagues. He believed leaving would be a betrayal of his duty.”

Up to 360 health workers have been detained since Israel’s military operation in Gaza in October 2023, according to medical sources cited by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. These include doctors with medical expertise and important specialties, which patients and the wounded have been denied, the report stated.

Over 57,000 Killed

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 57,000, wounding more than 137,000, with over 14,000 still missing.

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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