DayofPal– Medical workers and activists gathered outside the French Ministry of Health in Paris, yesterday, demanding immediate action against Israel’s detention of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor imprisoned by Israeli forces from Kamal Adwan hospital.
The demonstration called for international pressure to secure his release and to end the targeting of medical professionals in Palestine.
Egyptian-Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath, addressing the crowd on Wednesday, paid tribute to Dr. Abu Safiya and all detained Palestinian healthcare workers.
“Dr. Hossam symbolizes Western hypocrisy, including here in France,” Shaath stated. “His name is absent from Western media, while Israeli prisoners are constantly discussed in the United Nations.”
Shaath emphasized that Abu Safiya’s story is one of courage and sacrifice, recalling how he refused to abandon his patients even after being injured in an Israeli strike.
“Despite his wounds, he chose to stay. He walked out of the hospital alone, confronting the Israeli army to protect his patients,” he added.
He further stressed that Abu Safiya represents not only Palestinian doctors under attack but also the entire Palestinian people, who have fought alone since 1967.
French nurse Khadija, who participated in the demonstration, said the protest aimed to force a clear condemnation of Israel’s attacks on Palestinian medical workers.
“For 17 months, we have marched in the streets, denouncing the atrocities in Gaza. We have written multiple times to the Ministry of Health, requesting a meeting with the minister and officials, but they have ignored us.”
Dr. Abu Safiya was arrested by the Israeli army in late December, weeks after he was injured in an Israeli airstrike on Kamal Adwan Hospital on November 24. Despite his wounds, he refused to leave, continuing to treat patients under relentless bombardment.
Abu Safiya’s sacrifices are immeasurable. On October 26, his son, Ibrahim, was killed when Israeli forces stormed the hospital.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s case has become a symbol of both the resilience and suffering of Palestinian medical workers, who continue to risk their lives to save others while facing imprisonment, assaults, and systematic targeting.
As protests grow across France and beyond, activists hope that international pressure will finally bring justice to Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya and countless others detained under Israeli occupation.
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