Saving Lives Became His Crime

With all of the media attention being given lately to the Israeli-American-Iranian war, very little attention is being paid to the plight of the thousands of Palestinians arrested by Israel and held indefinitely in prison without any charges, much less a trial

One such recent case which deserves worldwide attention is the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a civilian doctor and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza,

His so-called crime was continuing to maintain medical care throughout numerous Israeli sieges to his hospital. Israeli forces finally emptied and shut down the hospital on December 27, 2024. During that action, Dr. Abu Safiya was taken into Israeli custody. Since that time, he has been held in various Israeli prisons without charge.

While continuing to treat patients during the ongoing Israeli attacks, he documented the situation – publicly pleading for medical supplies and international support. During the hospital’s last month before being emptied, he documented daily life there on Instagram.

Even before his so-called arrest, Dr. Abu Safiya and his family suffered personal hardships. His wife and family had taken up residence in the hospital in December 2023 as protection against Israeli bombardments. On October 25, 2024, their 15-year-old son Ibrahim was killed there by an Israeli drone strike. A month later, the doctor himself was wounded during another attack.

Since being taken into Israeli custody, Dr. Abu Safiya’s condition has deteriorated, due in no small part to repeated Israeli beatings and torture. He is now said to be in critical condition and is being held in solitary confinement. His lawyer says that he has been so badly injured that he is unrecognizable.

Dr. Abu Safiya is seen as a hero, not only in Gaza but around the world. Global support for his freedom has been well documented by Wikipedia and other sources:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) and numerous individuals and organisations, including Amnesty International, the Council on America-Islamic Relations, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have called for Abu Safiya’s whereabouts to be shared and for his immediate release from detention.
• In April 2025, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, Hind Rajab Foundation, and Global Legal Action Network wrote to the UK attorney general to apply for an arrest warrant for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for the attack on Kamal Adwan hospital and the detention of Abu Safiya.
• In June 2025, several organizations, including Human Rights Watch and MedGlobal, published a joint letter calling for the release of health care workers from Gaza and the West Bank detained by Israel, including Abu Safiya and five other MedGlobal staff.
• In July 2026, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory called for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of Dr. Abu Safiya and of all medical personnel held in arbitrary detention by Israel, and urged the Israeli authorities to provide immediate independent medical care for Dr. Abu Safiya.

Dr. Abu Safiya is far from being the only Palestinian abused in Israeli jails. In January 2026, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem released the report “LIVING HELL – The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps,” which chronicles systemic physical violence and abuse, sexual violence, denial of medical care, and resulting deaths in Israeli prisons. The group reports that as of September 2025, the Israeli regime was holding 10,863 Palestinians they classified as “security prisoners.”

Healthcare workers treating Palestinians continue to be targeted by Israeli forces. More than 1,700 have been killed in Gaza. Thankfully, groups like Doctors Without Borders and Healthcare Workers Watch are monitoring this appalling situation, and calling for the immediate release of all still being held captive.

You can take action to demand the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya and other healthcare workers. Doctors Against Genocide has developed ready-to-send letter templates and provides contact information for government officials in both the U.S. and Canada. Amnesty International is coordinating a campaign to send demand letters to Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, Military Advocate General for the Israel Defence Forces. You can of course also contact the Prime Minister.

Dr. Hussein Abu Safiya must be released now, before it is too late.

 

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (July 29, 2026): 429.29ppm

One year ago (July 29, 2025): 426.67ppm