A United Nations inquiry has expressed deep concern over reports of abuse against a prominent Palestinian doctor seized by Israeli forces in Gaza in December 2024 and still held in Israel, urging his immediate release. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, called for the release of Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Allegations of Abuse and Arbitrary Detention
Rights groups and Abu Safiya's lawyer have stated that his life is in imminent danger and that he continues to be held without charge, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel, an Israeli rights group. The UN inquiry stated, 'The actions of the Israeli Prison Service guards towards Palestinian detainees raise grave concerns of violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes. Dr Abu Safiya’s medical condition is the direct result of these actions.'
An Israel Prison Service spokesperson responded on Wednesday, 'The allegations and characterisations described are false, outrageous, and entirely without factual basis.' The spokesperson did not name Abu Safiya, but the IPS has previously rejected allegations of mistreatment of doctors in prison.
Health Deterioration and Legal Proceedings
On Monday, Abu Safiya's lawyer reported that his health was in danger and that he had been subjected to daily abuse. In June, Abu Safiya appeared via video link at a Supreme Court hearing in Jerusalem, looking noticeably thinner in the face and abdomen. The UN inquiry noted that the reported conduct reflects a broader pattern of violations identified in previous reports.
In September 2025, the inquiry stated that Israeli authorities had committed genocide by targeting the healthcare system and medical professionals in Gaza since October 2023—an accusation Israel described as scandalous. Israel has accused the inquiry of having a political agenda and has declined to cooperate.
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
On Monday, a separate UN rights body, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, found Israel's detention of Abu Safiya arbitrary and called for his immediate release. The group said Israel's actions contravened multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
