Abu Safiya was abducted by Israeli forces in late December following their raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital [Getty]
Israeli authorities have transferred the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital Dr Hussam Abu Safiya to Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, a detention facility notorious for human rights abuses, Palestinian rights monitor Al-Mezan confirmed on Wednesday.
Abu Safiya was abducted by Israeli forces in late December following their raid on the north Gaza hospital and was held at the Sde Teiman detention camp until 9 January when he was sent to Ofer.
Al-Mezan said that the doctor didn’t show any signs of torture, abuse or malnutrition during a video hearing but cautioned that he was unable to assess his condition without seeing him in person.
Since his arrest, Israel has denied him access to his lawyer, making it difficult to verify the state of his health.
Israel accuses the doctor of committing acts of terrorism and has extended his detention until the middle of February.
Following his arrest, he was transferred to Sde Teiman where he was reported to arrive in “poor condition”.
Ofer Prison is situated in the occupied West Bank and holds thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Rights monitors have documented numerous cases of abuse inflicted on inmates at the facility.
Testimonies from prisoners collected by the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs have evidenced the systematic use of physical and mental torture by prison guards.
In April 2024, Dr Adnan Al-Bursh, the head of orthopaedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, was tortured to death by Israeli guards at Ofer.
Israel shuttered the Kamal Adwan Hospital following its attack last month, leaving northern Gaza without a functioning hospital.
Before the war it was the largest medical facility in northern Gaza, serving more than 400,000 people.
Following the attack, the World Health Organisation said it was “appalled” at the Israeli military’s behaviour and accused it of the “systematic dismantling of the health system” in Gaza.
