{"id":838,"date":"2026-07-07T16:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=838"},"modified":"2026-07-07T16:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:10:15","slug":"life-of-pediatrician-incarcerated-by-israel-is-in-immediate-danger-lawyer-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=838","title":{"rendered":"Life of Pediatrician Incarcerated by Israel Is in Immediate Danger, Lawyer Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with <\/span><\/i>a donation<\/span><\/i>.<\/p>\n

Read more Dems Decry Disaster Aid Denials as Trump Approves $846 Million to GOP States<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A United Nations rights body said Monday that the detention of Palestinian Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya by Israel was \u201carbitrary\u201d and likely an indication of \u201ca widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country\u201d as it demanded the physician be released immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe appropriate remedy would be to release [him] immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,\u201d said the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, warning that Israel has violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by holding the doctor in detention since December 2024, when he was captured along with staff and patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Abu Safiya has been held without charge ever since, as Israel has accused the doctor of being a member of Hamas, pointing to Gaza\u2019s Military Medical Services records that show him listed as a \u201ccolonel\u201d and a photo of him seated next to members of the group.<\/p>\n

But medical and human rights groups note that there is no evidence that Abu Safiya has had a command combat role and that Hamas, which announced the dissolution of its government on Monday, has governed Gaza through its political wing, likening Abu Safiya\u2019s role to that of the US surgeon general.<\/p>\n

The working group issued the call following Abu Safiya\u2019s recent transfer to the underground Rakefet interrogation facility at Nitzan Prison, which is known for abuse of prisoners.<\/p>\n

The doctor recently told his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, after being transferred on June 24: \u201cThis is the last time you will see me\u2026 They brought me here to kill me. I don\u2019t see myself surviving. This is the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odeah reported after visiting the prison on July 2 that Abu Safiyah was nearly unrecognizable and had suffered injuries to his \u201chead, eyes, ears, and neck\u201d and was having trouble breathing. He was \u201cin a state of extreme weakness and was constantly on the verge of losing consciousness mid-conversation,\u201d according to his lawyer\u2019s account.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have visited Dr. Abu Safiya several times since his detention, but the individual I encountered during this latest visit was not the same person I had previously met,\u201d said Odeh in a statement. \u201cHis 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. He must be transferred out of the Rakefet facility immediately and granted an urgent, independent examination.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday, the American Human Rights Council (AHRC) was among those demanding Abu Safiya\u2019s immediate release, pointing to reports from his legal team that he is in \u201cimminent danger\u201d and potentially at risk of death if he remains in Israeli detention.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince his arrest on December 27, 2024, Dr. Abu Safiya has reportedly been subjected to torture, abuse, and prolonged solitary confinement,\u201d said the group. \u201cHis health continues to deteriorate, and he has been denied communication with his family and legal team. Reports indicate he was recently transferred to an isolated cell, raising further alarm about his safety and wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more As Hawaii Hosts International War Games, Residents Question Costs of Militarism<\/a><\/p>\n

AHRC noted that Abu Safiya placed \u201chis patients\u2019 lives above his own safety\u201d as he continued to provide medical care and to publicly call on Israel not to target healthcare facilities during the Israeli assault on Gaza that began in October 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe refused to abandon the hospital or leave the wounded behind despite repeated Israeli demands and threats,\u201d said AHRC. \u201cHe continued his humanitarian mission under bombardment, siege, and near-total depletion of medical supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imad Hamad, executive director of the group, called on physicians\u2019 groups and international medical associations to urgently demand Abu Safiya\u2019s release, as hundreds of people in Tel Aviv also assembled in solidarity with the doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge everyone to take a stand and push for the good doctor\u2019s release,\u201d said Hamad. \u201cThis is not about politics; this is about medicine and human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Amnesty International, Erika Guevara Rosas, the senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, called the details that have emerged recently about Abu Safiya\u2019s condition \u201ctruly horrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unconscionable that a pediatrician, who has dedicated his life to saving others in the occupied Gaza Strip, is being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment \u2014 including severe physical and psychological abuse and prolonged solitary confinement \u2014 while being detained without any justification,\u201d said Guevara Rosas.<\/p>\n

She added that Odeh\u2019s account \u201cmust serve as an urgent wake-up call for states around the world, particularly Israel\u2019s allies,\u201d such as the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is utterly reprehensible that a doctor who refused to abandon his patients, and who became one of the most prominent voices denouncing the devastation of Gaza\u2019s healthcare system, remains arbitrarily and unlawfully detained under Israel\u2019s baseless designation as an \u2018unlawful combatant,\u2019\u201d said Guevara Rosas. \u201cHe continues to be deprived of his most fundamental rights, including the right to be protected against torture and other ill-treatment, and his rights to a fair trial and due process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExpressions of concern alone are little more than a cynical fig leaf for states\u2019 inaction in the face of Israel\u2019s crushing of Palestinians\u2019 human rights,\u201d she added. \u201cAmnesty, alongside other human rights organizations, is not simply calling for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya\u2019s immediate release. This is a call for urgent and effective intervention to save his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Misquoted Declaration, Reciting Bible Passage Instead in July 4th Speech<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A UN body is calling on Israel to immediately release Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been arbitrarily detained since 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nLife of Pediatrician Incarcerated by Israel Is in Immediate Danger, Lawyer Warns - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=838\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life of Pediatrician Incarcerated by Israel Is in Immediate Danger, Lawyer Warns - 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