TNA Staff
The New Arab / September 3, 2026
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has repeatedly come under physical assault by Israeli prison guards since entering detention.
Detained Palestinian physician Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has given another chilling testimony about abuse from Israeli prison guards, as Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) presses for an independent physical examination following his transfer to a medical facility.
Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, told his lawyer on Sunday that Israeli prison guards had continued beating him across his body, including “sensitive areas”, with hands, boots, and batons, according to PHRI.
He also reported sleep deprivation, with his jailers playing noises on the prison’s public address system at night.
Abu Safiya that after a previous visit from his lawyer, he was assaulted and warned not to share information about the conditions of his detention.
“Dr Abu Safiya’s testimony confirms that the pattern of deliberate abuse against him is continuing,” PHRI said in a statement.
“His medical condition requires further assessment and treatment, yet the IPS [Israeli Prison Service] continues to delay access for an independent physician,” it added.
PHRI is seeking to allow Dr Amit Tirosh to independently examine Abu Safiyah, having submitted a request on 7 July, though the Israel Prison Service has requested extensions on its response to the submission, a move PRHI says there is no justification for.
Abu Safiya spent three weeks at a medical facility in Ramla Prison from 10 August, a move that “indicates significant medial needs that cannot be adequately addressed in ordinary prison wings”. PHRI has cited this as a a key reason for an independent medical examination.
The doctor’s detention, which has lasted over 600 days since December 2024 without charge or trial, has been marked by physical abuse from Israeli prison guards.
The abuse has prompted fears from his family and rights groups that he could die in detention.
PHRI added that Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the state to clarify by 13 September whether the Israeli military chief of staff or an authorised person has considered a request by PHRI to release Abu Safiya along with 13 other detained Palestinian doctors.
