Israel Further Extends Concentration Camp for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗿 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗯𝘂 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗡𝗼𝘄!

The Israeli authorities have extended the ban on legal counsel for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the detained director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, until February 6.
Israel has further extended the ban on access to legal counsel for the detained director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, to February 6, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has said.

Detained on December 27 by Israeli occupation forces during a raid on the hospital, Dr Abu Safiya “is being held without charges,” under laws that “have been systematically applied to detain Palestinian residents of Gaza, denying them basic human rights and legal safeguards,” Al Mezan said in a statement on Friday.

“Earlier this week, Israeli authorities once again extended the ban prohibiting Dr. Abu Safiya from meeting with his legal representative, now in place until 6 February 2025,” the Gaza-based organization stated, renewing its call for the doctor’s “immediate and unconditional” release.

“At a bare minimum, we urgently demand immediate access for our lawyer, appointed by the family of Dr. Abu Safiya as his legal representative, to independently assess his conditions,” Al Mezan said.

According to the organization, Dr. Abu Safiya was initially detained under the Unlawful Combatants Law.

The latest extension of his detention “was sanctioned through the Criminal Procedure Law, which is designed to extend the validity of harsh, special detention procedures for suspects of security offenses,” it noted.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐎𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧

On January 9, the Magistrates’ Court of Ashkelon extended his detention without charges until February 13.

“He was denied access to his legal counsel and participated in the hearing via video call,” the organization stated.

After the hearing, he was transferred to Ofer Prison, in the occupied West Bank, where he is currently being held, the statement added.

Al-Mezan emphasized that Israeli authorities have denied Dr. Abu Safiya access to legal counsel since his capture, “in blatant violation of his fundamental rights under international law.”

Ensuring that he meets with his lawyer “is essential not only for safeguarding his legal rights but also for conducting an independent assessment of his current physical and psychological condition,” said the organization. This is due to “inhumane arrest and detention practices, including initial enforced disappearance.”

𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

In the initial days following his abduction, Israeli authorities denied having Dr. Abu Safiya in their custody, “despite numerous eyewitnesses reporting that he was captured by Israeli forces along with medical personnel, patients, and other civilians present at Kamal Adwan Hospital.”

It was not until 5 January 2025 that Israeli authorities officially notified Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) that Dr. Abu Safiya was in their custody, said Al Mezan.

“However, they refused to disclose his whereabouts. This means that Dr. Abu Safiya was effectively subjected to enforced disappearance for several days during the early stages of his detention,” the organization stressed.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

According to the testimonies of released detainees, Dr. Abu Safiya was held at the notorious the Sde Teiman military camp in the early days of his arbitrary detention.

“Al Mezan expresses profound alarm for Dr. Abu Safiya’s safety and well-being, fearing that he may be subjected to severe torture, retaliation, or other forms of coercion, particularly given the ongoing and deliberate denial of access to a lawyer,” the organization said.

Al Mezan said it has raised Dr. Abu Safiya’s case with relevant United Nations (UN) Special Procedures, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

𝐀𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥

Various human rights groups have added to the call for the release of Dr. Abu Safiya, including Amnesty International.

Last week, the organization wrote to Brigadier General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the military advocate general for the Israeli army, demanding the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya.

Testimonies collected by Amnesty International and other human rights groups “reveal a dreadful reality inside Israeli prisons and detention centres, where Palestinian detainees, including health workers, face systematic torture and other ill-treatment and are denied their right to a fair trial and due process, along with access to adequate food and medical care,” the letter stated.

“In light of this, and the ongoing failure of Israeli authorities to grant independent monitors access to detention centres, we are extremely concerned for the life and wellbeing of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya,” it added.

‘𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬’ 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐇𝐋

Amnesty said that “by arresting the doctor arbitrarily, refusing to disclose his whereabouts and refusing to grant him access to legal counsel, Israeli forces committed serious violations of international law, including the crime of enforced disappearance.”

The rights group urged the advocate general to secure the release of Dr. Abu Safiya and all other Palestinians, including health workers, forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained by Israel.

“Pending Dr Hussam Abu Safiya’s release, I urge you to disclose his whereabouts and ensure his protection from all forms of torture and other ill-treatment, including coercion,” the letter noted.

Also pending his release, the doctor “must be granted access to legal counsel and adequate medical care while in detention.”