The Gaza Hospital Director Detained By Israel For Over A Year Has Appeared In Court For The First Time
Speaking through his lawyer, Abu Safiya said his detention is "unjust and arbitrary" and demanded his immediate release.
The director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been detained by Israel without charge since December 2024, has appeared in court for the first time.
Israeli forces stormed the hospital and arrested Abu Safiya on Dec. 27, 2024, after he refused to leave his patients as they besieged the building for weeks prior.
A video showed Abu Safiya walking alone toward an Israeli military vehicle after the Israeli military arrested staff and forced patients to strip to their underwear and leave the hospital before setting the building on fire.
His arrest led thousands of doctors and medical workers worldwide, as well as human rights organizations, to call for his release.
Abu Safiya was not seen again until Israel released a video of him on Feb. 19, 2025, showing him with both hands and feet cuffed and escorted by prison guards as they were taking him out of his cell.
Since then, Israeli courts renewed Abu Safiya’s detention multiple times without charge.
In April 2026, Abu Safiya’s brother Muafaq said Abu Safiya had lost 40 kilograms in prison and suffered four fractured ribs.
Abu Safiya’s lawyer said he was recently held in solitary confinement in Nafha prison and denied adequate medical care, having been transferred there as punishment after he filed an appeal seeking his release.
On Wednesday, June 11, Abu Safiya appeared via video conference from prison for a hearing on his appeal, handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb.
Reporters who were briefly allowed into the courtroom said Abu Safiya looked pale, gaunt and visibly thinner than before and had lash-like marks on both arms, according to AP.
Speaking through his lawyer, Abu Safiya said his detention is "unjust and arbitrary" and demanded his immediate release.
His lawyer said a judge indicated the court was likely to uphold the detention order but no ruling had been issued as of Thursday, June 11.
Abu Safiya is one of 14 Palestinian doctors held by Israel's military for more than a year without charge, according to human rights organization Physicians for Human Rights — Israel.
Isha Jain
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
