Occupation Isolates Kamal Adwan Hospital Director in Nafha Prison

The Israeli Prison Service has transferred Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, from the Negev detention center to solitary confinement cells in Nafha Desert Prison. This move comes amidst harsh detention conditions lacking the most basic human necessities, with his continued deprivation of necessary medical treatment and fundamental rights guaranteed by international conventions and laws.

Nasser Odeh, Abu Safiya's defense lawyer, confirmed that the decision to transfer and place him in solitary confinement represents a direct punitive measure taken by the prison administration in response to an appeal filed against the decision to continue his arbitrary detention. Odeh clarified that this escalation followed a series of threats and pressures exerted by Israeli intelligence officers against the detained doctor to force him into silence.

Through these pressures, the occupation authorities aim to prevent Dr. Abu Safiya from revealing the facts related to the inhumane detention conditions he and thousands of Palestinian prisoners face. Solitary confinement serves as a means to completely cut off his communication with fellow prisoners and prevent the defense team from meeting him, as lawyers have been denied visits multiple times without clear legal justifications.

Since his arrest about a year and a half ago, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital has faced systematic abuse, including deliberate medical neglect despite the deterioration of his health. Israeli authorities insist on detaining him under the so-called 'unlawful combatant law,' a legal pretext that allows for continued detention without presenting an indictment or concrete evidence to incriminate him.

Occupation forces arrested Abu Safiya on December 27, 2024, coinciding with their raid on the hospital he managed in the northern Strip. Since then, his detention has been extended repeatedly, most recently in mid-October 2025, when a decision was issued to extend his detention for an additional six months without a fair trial.

In early 2025, Israeli media broadcast a recording showing the doctor in shackles, a move described by human rights circles as a form of 'psychological terrorism' and a deliberate attempt at humiliation. This clip sparked widespread condemnation, demanding the protection of medical personnel performing their humanitarian duty amidst harsh war conditions.

Lawyer Nasser Odeh indicated that his client's case falls within a broader policy targeting Palestinian medical personnel, with approximately 14 doctors still abducted from within hospitals. These practices are considered part of a systematic plan aimed at destroying the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip and punishing doctors for their role in saving the lives of the wounded and sick.

On the legal front, the defense team filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court demanding Abu Safiya's immediate release, based on the argument that his detention violates the Geneva Conventions. These conventions provide special protection for medical personnel during armed conflicts, making his continued detention a blatant violation of established international norms.

While a hearing to consider the appeal was scheduled for the coming days, the sudden decision to transfer him to Nafha Prison has obstructed the legal process and increased concerns for the doctor's life. Legal sources expressed fears that the isolation might be a cover for further abuse away from the already limited human rights oversight.

Documented data indicates that since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, the occupation has arrested approximately 737 medical personnel, including doctors, paramedics, and nurses. Testimonies from those released from prisons confirm that these detainees are subjected to various forms of torture and ill-treatment, in an attempt to break the will of the Palestinian health sector, which has stood firm against the war machine.

The transfer of the doctor to solitary confinement aims directly to prevent him from interacting with prisoners, and to completely isolate him from his lawyers and his external environment.