UN inquiry urges release of Palestinian doctor jailed by Israel

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has issued an urgent appeal for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safia, a 52-year-old physician and director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital. Abu Safia has been held in Israeli detention without formal charges for more than 18 months, and the commission stated there are credible reports documenting continued and severe abuse.

According to his legal representative Nasser Odeh, Abu Safia's health condition has deteriorated significantly due to daily mistreatment. Rights organizations and family members report evidence of regular torture. During a recent prison visit, Odeh found Abu Safia so severely injured that he struggled to recognize him, according to the rights group Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Video footage from an Israeli court appearance last month showed the doctor appearing noticeably thinner than previously documented.

Israeli authorities detained Abu Safia along with other medical personnel and patients in December 2024, classifying him as an "unlawful combatant"—a designation Israel has used to hold Palestinians for extended periods without trial. The UN commission stated that the reported conduct toward Abu Safia reflects a broader pattern of violations identified in previous investigations, with actions by Israeli Prison Service guards raising grave concerns about violations of international law that likely constitute international crimes.

An Israel Prison Service spokesperson rejected the inquiry commission's claims as "false, outrageous, and entirely without factual basis," though the statement did not specifically address Abu Safia's case. The IPS has previously denied allegations of mistreatment against Abu Safia and other detained doctors. In September 2025, the same UN commission concluded that Israeli authorities had committed genocide by targeting Gaza's healthcare system and medical professionals since October 2023. Additionally, a separate UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined Abu Safia's detention to be arbitrary and called for his immediate release, finding that Israel's actions violated multiple articles of international human rights instruments.