Imprisoned Gaza hospital chief in danger for life, rights group says | Issues Against People

Elyas Abu Safia says his father can’t breathe or speak after more than 555 days in an Israeli prison.

The son of a prominent Palestinian doctor who was abducted and held without charge by Israel has launched an urgent appeal for his father’s release, warning that his health has deteriorated after more than 555 days in prison, with a rights group warning his life is at risk.

Elyas Abu Safia, son of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiashe said in a video on Sunday that her father, who is the head of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was subjected to horrific abuse after Israeli authorities transferred him to a maximum-security prison.

Elyas, who is also a doctor, said: “The other day, lawyer Nasser Odeh visited my father, where he told us painful things about the trip.

He said: “My father could not breathe, so that my father could no longer speak, and he added: “His face was damaged due to torture and pain, and the blood he endured in the prison, especially after the last prison. part of the court in Jerusalem.”

The Israeli army arrested Abu Safia in action on December 27, 2024, as they escalated their attacks in northern Gaza as part of the war to kill Palestinians in Gaza. Two months earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed his other son, Ibrahim, at the entrance to the hospital where he worked.

Elyas accused Arab and Muslim leaders of abandoning his father.

“You have even robbed us of your voice, your cooperation and your support, which should have been there since we were built,” he said.

“But sadly, your silence is a betrayal and a crime, as well as the torture of my father and hostages inside Israeli prisons,” he added.

‘The most amazing evidence’

Doctors for Human Rights Israel warned that Abu Safiya’s life is in danger soon after he was transferred to the Rakefet section of Nitzan prison.

The group said lawyer Nasser Odeh visited Abu Safia on July 2 and noted severe injuries, signs of beatings, difficulty breathing and repeated seizures. It said security guards brought him in handcuffs and surrounded him with masked police.

Odeh also saw fresh wounds and injuries on Abu Safiya’s head, eyes, ears and neck. The wounds were so severe that the lawyer had difficulty recognizing him, the group said.

“The information we received brings great and immediate concern to the life of Abu Safiya. The lawyer’s testimony is one of the most frightening things we have heard since the beginning of the war: a person who was arrested without charge told his lawyer that he believed he was going to kill him, when he arrived on the trip injured, struggling to breathe, and on the verge of losing consciousness, the director of the Department of Prisons, Naji Naji. A Physicians for Human Rights, told the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Israeli authorities have not filed charges against Abu Safia. They call him an “illegal fighter”, a name that Israel has used to detain Palestinians for long periods of time without trial.

Physicians for Human Rights has called for his release, along with other doctors imprisoned in Palestine. In March, United Nations experts also called on Israel to immediately release Abu Safia and ensure that he receives medical treatment.

He is one of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza who are currently being held by Israel without trial.