First image of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the captive Hussam Abu Safiya, appearing in the occupation courts

Media platforms and Palestinian activists today circulated the first image of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, during his presence in the Supreme Court hall of the occupation in occupied Jerusalem. The Palestinian doctor appeared in the image wearing prison uniform and handcuffed, showing signs of severe physical exhaustion reflecting the extent of suffering he faces behind bars.

Sources close to Abu Safiya's family and human rights activists reported that signs of torture and ill-treatment were clearly visible on his body during the court session. These developments come amidst his continued detention since late 2024, where he lives in harsh detention conditions lacking the minimum international humanitarian and legal standards that protect medical personnel.

The details of Dr. Abu Safiya's case date back to December 27, 2024, when occupation forces arrested him during a wide-ranging raid targeting Kamal Adwan Hospital. At that time, the hospital was the only lifeline and the last medical facility providing services to the besieged citizens in the northern Gaza Strip before it was forcibly put out of service.

Legally, the occupation authorities continue to detain the hospital director without filing a formal indictment or bringing him to a fair trial, based on what is known as the 'Unlawful Combatant Law'. This controversial law allows prison authorities to administratively extend the detention of Palestinians for long and indefinite periods, depriving them of the right to effective legal defense.

In a related context, the defense team for the captive doctor revealed that they had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court demanding an immediate end to his arbitrary detention, affirming the invalidity of the procedures taken against him. In a retaliatory move to this legal action, the prison administration transferred Dr. Abu Safiya to solitary confinement in 'Nafeh' desert prison, in an attempt to increase psychological and physical pressure on him.

The occupation is holding the Palestinian doctor without any formal charges or trial, under the so-called Unlawful Combatant Law.