DayofPal– More than two months after his abduction by Israeli forces, harrowing details have emerged about the detention and brutal mistreatment of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Held without charge, Dr. Abu Safiya has endured relentless coercion, prolonged isolation, and physical and psychological torture in Israel’s detention centers. Last Thursday, after 70 days of captivity, lawyer Ghaid Qassem was finally able to visit him in Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah.
From the moment of his arrest in December 2024, Abu Safiya was transported to the notorious Sde Teiman detention center, where he spent 14 days in complete isolation. He was then moved to Ofer Prison, where he remained in solitary confinement for another 25 days before being placed in Section 24, alongside other detainees from Gaza.
This segregation is part of Israel’s broader strategy to keep Palestinian prisoners from different regions isolated from one another.
Qassem recounted the grueling interrogations Abu Safiya endured: “The longest session lasted 13 consecutive days, with interrogations stretching 8 to 10 hours each day. Throughout, he suffered brutal abuse, deprivation, and continuous mistreatment.”
When their meeting began, Abu Safiya’s first question was not about his own suffering but about his son. Two months before his arrest, his son was killed in Gaza and, due to the dire circumstances, had to be temporarily buried near Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Unable to properly lay his child to rest, Abu Safiya’s primary concern was whether his son had finally been given a dignified burial. He had also just learned that his mother had passed away 10 days after his arrest.
Yet, he remained unaware of the worldwide attention his case had garnered. Like others held in solitary confinement, he had been completely cut off from news of Gaza or the outside world.
Describing conditions at Sde Teiman, Qassem did not hold back: “It is a slaughterhouse in every sense of the word.” She painted a grim picture of starvation, brutal torture, and inhumane treatment.
“Prisoners have been shackled for 10 months straight. Some have lost limbs without receiving treatment. Elderly detainees are kept blindfolded and bound. Others have lost between 70 and 90 kilograms due to malnutrition and mistreatment. They are kept in freezing cold, exposed to wind and rain, forced to sit on the bare ground, forbidden to speak, pray, or even read the Quran.”
Beyond the physical torment, the psychological warfare is just as cruel. Israeli intelligence officers reportedly tell prisoners their entire families have been killed, whether true or not, leaving them to grapple with unimaginable grief in complete isolation.
Recently, Israeli Channel 13 aired footage of Abu Safiya, showing him shackled, pale, and visibly bruised, with his head shaved. According to Qassem, he had no knowledge that he was being filmed and was not informed about the purpose of the interview. After the broadcast, he was thrown back into isolation, subjected to further beatings and humiliation.
Israeli authorities initially attempted to charge Abu Safiya under a so-called “security file.” After 45 days of brutal interrogations, they failed to find any evidence against him. As a result, they reverted to classifying him as an “illegal combatant”, a designation that strips him of fundamental legal protections, including the right to legal representation or a formal indictment.
His detention continues to be extended without justification.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s case is emblematic of the broader plight of Palestinian prisoners, detained without charge, held in inhumane conditions, and subjected to relentless abuse. As international attention grows, so too do calls for justice in the face of these ongoing human rights violations.
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