The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, appeared before the Israeli Supreme Court, shackled, via video conference from his detention. This is the first appearance of the detained doctor in over a year, as public news of him had ceased since February 2025 following the broadcast of clips showing him restrained at the moment of his arrest by occupation forces.
Human rights sources reported that the occupation authorities imposed a strict media blackout on the court proceedings, as the court decided to prevent journalists from attending or covering the session. The sources indicated that this measure aims to conceal details of the deteriorating health condition in which the detained doctor appeared, a result of the harsh detention conditions he faces.
During the session, the court allowed lawyer Nasser Abu Odeh to present his legal arguments for a brief period before suddenly ordering him to leave the hall. The court and the public prosecution justified this action by their desire to discuss what they called 'secret indictment clauses' that should not be disclosed, which raises concerns about the fairness of the legal procedures taken against him.
Ramy Abdu, Chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, confirmed that leaked photos from the session clearly show signs of extreme exhaustion on Abu Safiya's features. Abdu also pointed out the clear signs indicating that he was subjected to systematic torture and ill-treatment inside Israeli prisons, which contradicts international laws protecting medical personnel.
These developments come just a few days after warnings issued by the doctor's legal team regarding the severe deterioration of his health inside detention. Lawyer Nasser Abu Odeh explained that his client is being held in inhumane conditions, where he remains shackled hand and foot around the clock, and faces a severe shortage of basic necessities such as food and potable water.
The imprisoned doctor suffers from several chronic diseases that require special medical care and regular medication, which the prison administration has deliberately denied him recently. Leaked information revealed that he was transferred on June 3rd from 'Naqab' prison to solitary confinement cells in 'Nafha' desert prison, which further increases the danger to his health and psychological state.
Abu Safiya's appearance in this condition sparked a new wave of human rights condemnations, with international organizations demanding the immediate release of abducted Palestinian medical personnel. Activists stressed that targeting hospital directors falls within the occupation's policy to destroy the health system in the Gaza Strip and punish medical teams who insisted on performing their humanitarian duty.
The leaked photo shows signs of severe exhaustion, in addition to clear signs of torture and ill-treatment suffered by Dr. Abu Safiya.
شارك برأيك
In his first appearance in a year.. Kamal Adwan Hospital director appears shackled before an Israeli court