Ned Freij
The New Arab / August 6, 2026
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel has filed a petition requesting an independent investigation into Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s case amid reports of torture
The health of Gaza hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has severely deteriorated, with a human rights group warning that his condition may have reached the point of “tangible and immediate danger to his life”.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) says it obtained new information from Abu Safiya’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, following a 2 July visit to the underground Rakefet detention wing at Nitzan Prison, where the Kamal Adwan Hospital director is being held. The lawyer’s sworn affidavit describes a severe decline in the doctor’s condition and alleges continued torture and medical neglect.
According to PHRI, Odeh reported that Abu Safiya was brought to the meeting shackled at the hands and feet and escorted by masked guards, with fresh and severe bruises to his head, around his eyes, ears and neck.
The doctor was “struggling to breathe, unable to remain seated without collapsing, and appearing close to losing consciousness.” Abu Safiya told his lawyer: “They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving. This is the end.”
In subsequent visits, Abu Safiya has continued to report violence and beatings by prison guards, including assaults with batons and an incident in which a guard allegedly slammed a door on his finger, leaving it bruised. He has also complained of worsening pain and injuries affecting his head, neck and chest, as well as difficulties breathing and speaking.
Abu Safiya, a prominent paediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024, when troops raided the facility. He has been held in Israel without charge ever since, under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows for prolonged detention without trial.
His family and colleagues say he has experienced extreme weight loss, fractured ribs, a range of chronic health problems and repeated assaults in custody.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention between October 2023 and the end of August 2025, while PHRI, citing Israeli data, says at least 98 Palestinians have died in custody since October 2023, with rights groups warning the true toll is likely higher.
Rights group petitions court for urgent independent examination
On Wednesday, PHRI petitioned the Administrative Court, asking judges to order the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to allow an independent medical specialist to examine Abu Safiya.
The group says an impartial assessment is the only way to establish his current medical condition and determine whether appropriate treatment is being provided. PHRI notes that under Israeli Supreme Court case law, the Patients’ Rights Law and IPS regulations, prisoners should be entitled to examination by a physician of their choice and to obtain an independent medical opinion.
The petition follows earlier PHRI requests at the beginning of July for an independent doctor to visit Abu Safiya, after the IPS transferred parts of the detainee’s medical records to the rights group. PHRI says the disclosed material corroborates Odeh’s affidavit about the doctor’s seriously deteriorating health.
The records show that prison staff examined Abu Safiya after Odeh requested an urgent evaluation during his 2 July visit, noting an injury to his left eye and complaints of injuries to his head and chest, including rib pain. They indicate that Abu Safiya was referred for a chest X‑ray, but the results were not included in the documents handed to PHRI.
PHRI argues that the omission of the X‑ray results makes it “impossible to determine what the examination revealed, whether the reported injuries were fully documented, or what medical treatment, if any, was provided.” The group says this lack of transparency heightens concern over the adequacy of care, given multiple reports of torture and medical neglect.
Separately, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Information Office has said that “brutal torture” in custody has left Abu Safiya with multiple injuries, including broken ribs, and that 27 July was his “most difficult day” since his arrest. Rights organisations and prisoners’ advocates say the doctor has spent 21 days in solitary confinement at Rakefet under harsh conditions, contributing to a further deterioration in his physical and mental health.
PHRI is separately petitioning the Israeli Supreme Court for the release of Palestinian doctors from Gaza who are held without charge or trial, including Abu Safiya. The organisation’s petition seeks the release of 14 detained doctors and draws particular attention to the “imminent danger” posed by Abu Safiya’s continued incarceration.
The Supreme Court has ordered the state to respond to allegations of torture and life‑threatening deterioration in his condition, but has so far allowed repeated delays in the government’s response.
Ned Freij is a freelance journalist and intern at The New Arab
