Israel confirms detention of Gaza hospital director Abu Safiya
568c5ca0-c9ce-11ef-ab3f-6726fd51f5ee.jpg.webp
The hospital director was arrested in an Israeli raid last Friday
Israel has confirmed the detention of Gaza hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya after he told a local NGO that he was not aware of his case, raising concerns for his well-being.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) statement said he was "currently under investigation by Israeli security forces" personally.
The statement did not offer an explanation for the mix-up, but reiterated that he is suspected of being a "terrorist" and has "a rank" in Hamas, the Palestinian armed group at war with Israel in Gaza.
Dr. Abu Safiya was arrested as the Israeli military forced patients and medical staff out of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza last Friday, claiming the facility was a "bastion of Hamas terrorists."
On Thursday, the Israeli military told Physicians for Human Rights in Israel (PHRI) that there was "no indication of the arrest or detention of the individual in question." PHRI filed a petition with Israel's High Court of Justice on Thursday, seeking to reveal the whereabouts of Dr. Abu Safiya. The court gave the Israeli military one week to respond to the request.
Amnesty International's director, Agnes Callamard, said Israeli authorities must "urgently reveal her whereabouts."
She said Israel had detained "hundreds of Palestinian health workers from Gaza without charge or trial" and that they had been "subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and held incommunicado."
Israel denies mistreating prisoners. Dr Abu Safija's family told BBC Arabic that they believe he was being held at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel, where Israeli forces have taken several Gaza prisoners for interrogation.
Whistleblowers have previously told the BBC and other international media about the extremely harsh detention conditions at the base. Israel said all detainees were being held there "with care and due care".
The Israeli military ordered everyone at Kamal Adwan Hospital to leave the facility on Friday, giving the hospital about 15 minutes to move patients and staff into the courtyard, it said.
Beit Lahia, where the hospital is located, has been under an increasingly tight Israeli blockade imposed on parts of northern Gaza since October. The UN said the area was under "total siege" after the Israeli military severely restricted access for aid deliveries to an area home to between 10,000 and 15,000 people.
Reuters Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli raid on Kamal Adwan hospital in the northern Gaza Strip Reuters
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had captured 240 fighters in Kamal Adwan and said Dr. Abu Safiya was among the medical personnel taken for questioning.
A video showed him walking towards an Israeli armored vehicle before being taken for questioning. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the arrest the same day, saying the doctor had been transferred for questioning.
Dr. Abu Safiya had previously been arrested by Israeli forces during a previous raid on the hospital in October, but was released shortly after. During this Israeli operation, Dr. Abu Safija's 15-year-old son was killed by a drone strike. Footage later that day showed him offering funeral prayers for his son in the hospital courtyard.
Israeli attacks on health facilities in Gaza have drawn growing condemnation.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Office said Israeli attacks on and around hospitals had pushed Gaza's health system "to the brink of total collapse" and raised serious concerns about war crimes and crimes against humanity.
a5442410-c9b3-11ef-94cb-5f844ceb9e30.jpg.webp
Israel's mission in Geneva said Israeli forces were operating in accordance with international law and "would never target innocent civilians." Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 45,580 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
An elaborate image showing a red globe, with small plastic figurines placed around it
The wars of 2024 have brought together rivals - but created new enemies
What the 2024 conflict means for 2025...
3 days ago
BBC Depth
A member of the hospital team, dressed in navy blue overalls and sterile blue gloves, operates the crank to operate the washing machine. The washing machine is like a big metal drum on its side with the design of the washing machine written on it. Hand washing machines 'make a difference' in Gaza
The Washing Machine project was created by former University of Bath student Navjot Sawhney.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pictured at chest height, holding his left hand to his chin, with a UN flag in the background
UN health chief at Yemen airport during Israeli strikes
Israel claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted the Houthis' "military infrastructure".
[attachment deleted by admin]