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Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, one of the last doctors operating in northern Gaza, has been detained by Israeli forces, leaving his family desperate for answers. Dr. Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabaliya refugee camp, was reportedly injured during a raid and later transferred to the Sde Teiman detention camp, according to his son, Idrees Abu Safiya.
“We are so worried. We haven’t been able to sleep for three days because we didn’t know until today where he is,” Idrees shared. Witnesses claim Dr. Abu Safiya was injured in the raid and later seen in detention with visible wounds.
The raid has also shuttered Kamal Adwan Hospital, which Dr. Abu Safiya had managed through over 80 days of siege and bombardment. Patients and remaining staff were transferred to the already non-functional Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed outrage, condemning the raid as a blow to Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
Israel alleges the hospital was being used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, claiming 240 fighters were arrested during the operation. However, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have demanded the release of detained medical personnel. Amnesty highlighted concerns over reports of torture and incommunicado detention of health workers at Sde Teiman.
Eid Sabbah, the head of nursing at Kamal Adwan Hospital, reported that many medical staff were detained, initially held at schools and wedding halls, but their current whereabouts remain unknown. The United Nations has condemned the treatment of healthcare workers, calling the reports of torture “grossly illegal and revolting.”
Since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian health ministry reports that over 1,000 health workers in Gaza have been killed, and 300 have been detained. “We hope humanitarian groups can come together to secure my father’s release,” Idrees said.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention not only underscores the dangers faced by Gaza’s medical community but also leaves northern Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure in tatters, with dire consequences for its people.
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