Gaza’s Dr. Abu Safiya held in Sde Teiman detention camp: report

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of north Gaza‘s Kamal Adwan Hospital, is reportedly held at the notorious Israeli Sde Teiman detention centre, following his shock arrest on Friday.The medic was being held at the military base which doubles up as a detention centre according to Palestinians formerly detained there who spoke to CNN.

Dr. Abu Safiya was seen by two ex-detainees who were released over the weekend from the Sde Teiman while another heard his name being called out, they told the US outlet.

“I heard them calling his name between the names they call every morning and night, and we had men that were brought to our cell and told us they were detained along with Dr. Hussam,” one former detainee said.

Another former prisoner said Dr. Abu Safiya and a number of medical staff were “still in detention” and that they were “being badly treated”.

The doctor’s family, activists and rights groups have expressed concern over the fate of Dr. Abu Safiya, who has not been heard from since his arrest on Friday by the Israeli military.

In a statement, his family said: “We are deeply concerned for our father’s safety and well-being, as we have no information about his current condition or whereabouts.”

“We do not know the fate of our father. We appeal to you to take action, raise awareness, exert media pressure and produce reports to pressure the occupation for his immediate release.”

Amnesty International also echoed the Abu Safiya family’s sentiments, and called for him to be “released immediately and unconditionally”.

Sde Teiman gained international attention amid the Gaza war after multiple testimonies from Palestinian detainees revealed the extent of the physical and psychological torture, as well as sexual abuse, occurring at the facility.

In August, leaked footage showed Israeli soldiers gang raping a Palestinian detainee, leading him to suffer from several internal injuries.

At least 36 Palestinians have died at the facility as a result of abuse and medical neglect, according to Palestinian rights groups.

Dr. Abu Safiya’s arrest was confirmed on Saturday following the Israeli army’s violent operation in the Kamal Adwan Hospital and its vicinity, which saw them set several departments on fire and force patients and medical staff to leave. 

Israeli forces arrested around 240 Palestinians at the hospital, as well as medical staff including Dr. Abu Safiya in the aftermath of the raid.

The operation started on Thursday, after the Israeli military bombed residencies in the area which housed hospital staff and their families. The attack killed at least 50 Palestinians, including five medics.

Kamal Adwan has now been described as empty and non-functional by several NGOs including the World Health Organization (WHO), with patients forcibly moved to the Indonesian Hospital.

The medical facility, located in Beit Lahia, was the last functioning major hospital in northern Gaza.

The attacks were carried out after Israel claimed the facility was being used as a Hamas “command centre” – a pretext often used by the Israeli military to justify its targeting of medical facilities, as well as schools and other infrastructure.

The army also arrested Dr. Abu Safiya after accusing him of being a “Hamas operative”. No evidence has been provided by Israel to support its claims. 

The doctor continued providing medical care to patients at Kamal Adwan in spite of Israel’s sieges and attacks, and frequently documented the horrors inside the facility as a result of Israel’s intensified operation in north Gaza, which began in October.

The Kamal Adwan Hospital has been raised at least six times since. Four doctors were killed at the facility earlier this month.

Israel forces have waged a war in the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year, killing at least 45,541 Palestinians in atrocities described as genocidal.