One year detained: Gaza calls for release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

• Gaza Health Ministry calls for the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya on the first anniversary of his arrest.
• Abu Safiya, a hospital director, was detained by 'Israeli' forces at gunpoint while performing his medical duties.
• Amnesty International reported he has suffered abuse and ill-treatment in detention.

As the first anniversary of his arrest approaches, the Gaza Health Ministry has renewed calls for the international community to act on behalf of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, whose fate remains unknown following his detention by 'Israeli' forces.

Abu Safiya was taken into custody on Dec. 27, 2024, when 'Israeli' troops raided Kamal Adwan Hospital and detained him at gunpoint. Reports from Amnesty International, citing a lawyer who visited Abu Safiya and other detainees, indicate that he has been subjected to abuse and other forms of mistreatment during his incarceration.

“We appeal to the countries of the world to secure the release of Abu Safiya, disclose his fate, and provide him with protection under international law,” Gaza Health Ministry head Munir Al-Bursh said on Telegram.

Al-Bursh emphasized that targeting doctors is unacceptable. “A doctor should never be a target, and those who abduct doctors are in fact abducting the very spirit of justice,” he said. He noted that Abu Safiya “was not detained for carrying a weapon or harming anyone, but because he practiced his humanitarian profession, carried his stethoscope and compassionate heart, and supported the lives of people when the world abandoned them.”

Abu Safiya is well-known throughout Gaza’s hospitals for his work in emergency rooms and operating theaters. Al-Bursh highlighted that the doctor continued to aid the wounded during 'Israeli' attacks before being arrested, and has since been denied access to his family and prevented from continuing his medical duties.

The Health Ministry chief called for 'Israel' to be held accountable for “the crimes of abducting doctors and paramedics and torturing them.” He also urged international and human rights organizations to take immediate action to protect medical teams in Gaza and secure Abu Safiya’s release.