Israel’s Be’er Sheva District Court issued a decision on Tuesday, March 25 to uphold the detention order of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya for six months under the “Unlawful Combatant” Law, according to Al Mezan Center for Human Rights.
The center clarified that the detention order was issued on February 12, 2025 by the Commander of the Southern Command of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), and that by upholding the order, Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention was extended for another six months.
Al Mezan described the “Unlawful Combatant” Law as an apartheid law because it is used by Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinian residents of the Gaza strip, including Dr. Abu Safiya, without charge or fair trial, in order to “circumvent basic protections under international law.”
Detained after performing medical duties at Kamal Adwan
The sentence was based on a secret file that Israel’s Southern District Prosecutor submitted to the court, alleging that Dr. Abu Safiya “poses a threat” to Israel’s security.
Al Mezan’s legal team, which represents Dr. Abu Safiya, responded to the allegations by asserting his innocence, and emphasizing that “he was solely performing medical and administrative duties at Kamal Adwan Hospital.”
The team also requested access to the secret investigation materials but the prosecution declined the request, and the court upheld the rejection.
The court’s ruling came three months after the Palestinian doctor was abducted from Kamal Adwan Hospital on December 27, 2024. Throughout his detention, Abu Safiya has been subjected to brutal torture and abuse, in addition to long periods of sustained interrogation.
Israel continues to torture Abu Safiya
On Monday, March 24, Abu Safiya’s legal counsel lawyer Ghaid Qassem said that during her last visit to him on March 19, she observed clear signs of physical abuse on his body. The signs included injuries to his eyes and rib cage, and multiple fractures.
Qassem’s new testimonies emerged less than two weeks since her initial report on Abu Safiya’s condition, suggesting the Palestinian doctor has faced continuous torture by the Israeli occupation detention authorities.
By upholding the detention of Abu Safiya without any charge or fair trial, Israel reaffirms its total disregard for international law and its defiance of the global outcry that his detention has provoked.
