Elham Asaad Buaras
UN experts have demanded the immediate release of a detained Gaza doctor, warning he has been subjected to “severe torture” and left in a “dire” state of health.
In a statement issued on March 25, UN Special Rapporteurs Tlaleng Mofokeng and Ben Saul said Palestinian medic Hussam Abu Safiya, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, had endured “severe torture” and “other cruel and degrading treatment” while in Israeli custody.
Dr Abu Safiya has been held since December 27, 2024, after being seized in Gaza. According to the experts, “the conditions of his detention appear to be flagrantly arbitrary and manifestly inconsistent with the Mandela Rules, which establish the obligation of states to ensure prisoners have access to healthcare.”
The Mandela Rules, adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in 2015, set out minimum standards for the humane treatment of detainees.
Concerns over the doctor’s condition have intensified following reports from Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), which said he is suffering from serious illnesses, including severe scabies and heart problems, yet has allegedly been denied treatment.
Since his arrest, Dr Abu Safiya has reportedly lost around 25kg. During a visit in September, PHRI documented his deteriorating condition.
“He has been systematically denied critical medical examination and treatment, and deprived of essential care to such an extent that his life, health, and wellbeing have been gravely endangered,” Mofokeng and Saul said.
They stressed that all states are bound by international law to protect healthcare workers, adding that wounded and sick detainees must be properly cared for while in custody.
The case comes amid mounting allegations of widespread abuse of Palestinian detainees since October 7, 2023. Rights groups have described the reported treatment, including starvation, medical neglect, physical violence, humiliation, sexual assault and prolonged solitary confinement, as systematic.
Scores of doctors, healthcare workers and emergency responders have also reportedly been detained, many while carrying out their duties in hospitals.
“Violence against healthcare workers, destruction of health facilities, and underlying determinants of health continue unabated despite a so-called ceasefire in Gaza,” the UN experts added.
Despite being a civilian doctor, Dr Abu Safiya has been classified by Israeli authorities as an “unlawful combatant”, a designation that allows detention without formal charges, access to legal representation, or disclosure of whereabouts.
The rapporteurs said the law itself “violates human rights and humanitarian law”, while rights organisations have branded it a flagrant breach of international legal standards.
“As Israel’s prisoner, Dr Abu Safiya, a highly respected Palestinian medical administrator and paediatrician, has suffered an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, violation of his human rights, including the right of every human being to be free from torture and ill treatment, and his right to health is being eroded,” they said.
The experts confirmed they have raised the case with Israeli authorities and urged the international community to increase pressure for his release.
They also called for the release of all detained medical workers and insisted that those still in custody must be granted immediate access to appropriate medical care.
Feature photo: Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, who UN experts say has been subjected to severe torture and denied medical care while in Israeli detention. Experts demand his immediate release. (Credit: Screengrab/Instagram @dr.hussam73)
