Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Arrested

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had arrested Dr. Abu Safiya because he was “suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative,” and claimed that the Kamal Adwan hospital was being used by Hamas as a “command and control center.” The military did not provide any evidence to support the claims.

Arrest

On December 29, 2024, the Israeli army arrested Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stormed the facility following three months of blockade and airstrikes targeting its departments. Putting the last major hospital in North Gaza out of service by setting several parts on fire.

The attack caused several departments to catch fire, killing and wounding Palestinian medical workers and patients, according to Munir al-Bursh, Director General of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

He went on to say that all remaining medical staff, patients and their relatives were taken out of the hospital at gunpoint, forced to strip down to their underwear and transferred to an unknown location. The IDF said that Dr. Abu Safiya and his staff are not medical professionals, instead labeling them “Hamas terrorist operatives.”

At the time of the raid, there were 350 people in the hospital, including 180 medical workers and 75 wounded people, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported that the Israeli occupation army won’t allow Kamal Adwan Hospital to operate again after destroying and completely burning it.

The last known photo of Abu Safiya showed him walking alone towards a row of Israeli tanks that were waiting outside the facility.

Growing Concerns

Fears are now growing for Dr. Abu Safiya’s safety, as his colleagues are worried he may face the same fate as Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, an orthopedic surgeon who continued treating the wounded amid Israeli airstrikes. Al-Bursh was arrested by Israeli forces in December 2023, imprisoned and eventually died while in custody in April 2024.

Abu Safiya’s family released a statement appealing to the international community for his swift release:

“Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, who has made great efforts to protect the health system in northern Gaza, is now facing an uncertain fate after he was forcibly disappeared by Israeli forces,” the family said on Sunday. “Abu Safiya did everything he could to serve patients in the midst of the harsh conditions in the area and 84 days of siege, during which he lost his son Ibrahim and suffered a serious injury. We are the family of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. It is no secret to anyone the immense efforts Dr. Hussam has made since the beginning of the war to support the only healthcare system for the residents of North Gaza, your families, friends, and loved ones. His most recent effort was after the military operation on North Gaza, following an 84-day siege. During this time, they endured the harshest trials, including hunger, oppression, bombardment, and threats, all for the sake of the patients.

Tragically, he lost his beloved son, Ibrahim, and he himself suffered severe injuries. It should be noted that my father is still affected by his injuries to this day. We do not know the fate of our father. We appeal to you to take action, raise awareness, exert media pressure, and produce reports to pressure the occupation for his immediate release.

Our father is now suffering from the extreme cold. You have all heard from eyewitnesses who were recently released about how my father was forced to strip off his clothes, including his medical coat, and was used as a human shield. We implore every living conscience, every international organization, and institution to act urgently.”

The family holds Kazakhstani citizenship and calls on the Kazakhstani government, international organizations like WHO and MedGlobal and all foreign governments to intervene and secure his release.

International Reactions

UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, called for a global medical boycott of Israel in response to its alleged targeting of Gaza’s healthcare system.  

“I urge medical professionals worldwide to sever all ties with Israel as a powerful statement against its complete destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system—a key instrument of its ongoing genocide,” Albanese posted on X.

MedGlobal, a humanitarian NGO providing healthcare in disaster areas, has demanded Abu Safiya’s immediate release, while the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “appalled” by the attack on the hospital.

Amnesty International has urged the Israeli occupation to immediately and unconditionally release the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was arrested during their raid into the hospital.

“We at Amnesty are extremely concerned over the fate and wellbeing of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who was detained by Israeli forces along with others during a raid on the hospital on 27 December,” Amnesty’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.

Human Rights Violations

At least 1,057 health workers in Gaza have been killed since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The Palestinian advocacy group Healthcare Workers Watch says 300 workers have been detained.

The arrest of healthcare workers follows the deaths of five journalists outside of Al-Awda Hospital on December 26. Healthcare workers and journalists are a protected class of people according to humanitarian law. This is a dangerous precedence to set as Israel continues to face accusations of war crimes with limited international consequences.