GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, detained in the Israeli occupation prisons since December 2024, confirmed the continuation of his exposure to harsh detention conditions inside the facilities of the underground Rakefet prison, demanding action to get him out of that place by any means.
Abu Safiya said, during a visit paid to him by his lawyer Naser Oudeh and lawyer Tamir Blank, the legal advisor to the Physicians for Human Rights organization, on Tuesday, July 14, that the conditions he had previously revealed during the previous visit have not changed.
He pointed out, in his testimony, that he was subjected to beating again by the jailers after his lawyer’s previous visit, which caused him bleeding following an injury to his finger, in addition to the continuation of his detention alone in complete isolation.
He explained that, a few days after the previous visit, he underwent a medical examination and an X-ray, but the prison administration did not inform him of the results of the examinations or the nature of his health condition.
He added that he received, according to his testimony, pain relievers for a short period that lasted several days, before they were stopped without providing justifications or treatment alternatives.
He noted that a doctor visited him several times during the last week to follow up on his health condition, but those visits were not accompanied by any therapeutic intervention or additional medical procedures, which kept his health deterioration ongoing in light of the continuation of his detention and the difficult detention conditions.
The two lawyers explained that the visit was held in the presence of two masked jailers in an adjacent room, at a close distance that allowed them to hear Abu Safiya, and the conversation took place through an opaque barrier using a phone, in a way that does not guarantee the confidentiality of communication.
This new information comes after Israeli interior ministry claimed in its response to the Supreme Court that no indicators pointing to a threat to the life of Abu Safiya were revealed, and that since his transfer to Rakefet, he underwent examinations several times by medical authorities.
Despite conducting the medical examinations, the occupation authorities have not yet revealed their results, nor have they provided a detailed response to the testimonies conveyed by lawyer Naser Oudeh regarding Abu Safiya being subjected to severe violence before his previous visit on July 2, 2026.
These data raised increasing concerns regarding his detention conditions and the extent of his access to the necessary medical care.
In the same context, the Israeli Prison Service did not respond to the requests of the Physicians for Human Rights organization aimed at obtaining the complete medical file of Abu Safiya, or allowing a doctor on behalf of the organization to visit him and assess his health condition independently, which increases the ambiguity surrounding his health status and detention conditions.
The Physicians for Human Rights organization confirmed that the testimonies regarding Abu Safiya being subjected to further violence, which he said occurred directly after his lawyer’s previous visit, along with his harsh detention conditions inside the underground Rakefet facility, call for urgent and immediate intervention to verify his health and legal conditions.
The organization stressed the need to conduct an independent and impartial medical and legal examination, away from any influences or restrictions that detention conditions might impose, confirming that the available data raise serious concerns about his physical and psychological safety.
The organization demanded ensuring the protection of Abu Safiya, providing him with appropriate medical care, and allowing his condition to be followed up by independent medical authorities, in addition to transferring him from the underground facility and ending his isolation, in line with international standards for the treatment of detainees.
During the visit, Abu Safiya appealed to his lawyer to make all possible efforts to work on transferring him from the Rakefet facility and ending his isolation, confirming that his current detention conditions increase his physical and psychological suffering.
He stressed the need to provide appropriate medical care for him and follow up on his health condition urgently, pointing to his suffering from a clear problem in his right eye, which appeared obvious during the meeting, demanding that he undergo an examination by a specialist ophthalmologist to diagnose his condition and provide the necessary treatment.
He called for enabling him to obtain the medical care he needs without delay or restrictions, in addition to returning his medical glasses of which he was deprived, because of its direct impact on his ability to see and practice his daily life inside the prison.
He asked for providing him with the necessary painkillers to alleviate the pain he suffers from, in light of the continuous deterioration of his health condition.
These developments come against the backdrop of a petition by the Physicians for Human Rights organization to release 14 Palestinian doctors from the Gaza Strip, including Abu Safiya, who are held inside the Israeli prisons without indictment and without trial.
Israel had requested the rejection of the petition without holding a session, and the court ordered the organization and the petitioners to submit their response to the state’s position by July 19.
After receiving the response, the judge will decide on the continuation of the legal proceedings, and up to this stage, no date has been set for a hearing on the petition.
The Israeli occupation forces had arrested Abu Safiya on December 27, 2024 during the storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital, in northern Gaza Strip, at a time when the medical facility was operating amidst war conditions.
