‘Risk of death’: Detainees recount horrific abuse of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya in Israeli detention
Three former detainees have revealed that the Israelis have earmarked Dr. Abu Safiya for “exceptionally harsh treatment.”
From forcing him to abuse himself to letting dogs maul him, former detainees who were held in Israeli rape and torture dungeons have recounted the horrific abuse inflicted on Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya by Israeli prison guards. The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was abducted by the Israelis on December 27, 2024, and has now spent almost 500 days in Israeli captivity without charge.
Three former detainees have revealed that the Israelis have earmarked Dr. Abu Safiya for “exceptionally harsh treatment”, including humiliation and severe physical and verbal abuse by specialised Israeli prison units in an effort to erase his identity.
Ahmad Qaddas, who was recently released from Israeli detention, said that fellow detainees could hear Dr. Abu Safiya screaming as he was being beaten, powerless to intervene. “He spent most of his time sitting in a daze due to severe exhaustion caused by ongoing torture,” Asra Media reported.
“The former prisoner described with bitterness how the respected director of Kamal Adwan Hospital had been reduced to softly muttering prayers, his words barely understandable despite repeated attempts to speak, an image reflecting the severe physical breakdown he had reached.”
Recently released detainee Hamza Abu Omeira met the doctor in October 2025 and found him already in “poor health, visibly exhausted, and ill.” Hamza further revealed that Dr. Abu Safiya “appeared frail and emaciated, wearing dirty clothes and showing signs of ongoing exhaustion.”
Despite holding the esteemed doctor in detention for nearly a year and a half, the Israelis have not been able to produce any evidence of wrongdoing against him.
However, that has not stopped them from conducting frequent interrogations, which are replete with “beatings and verbal abuse,” Hamza revealed. The relentless abuse has left the doctor in a constant state of vomiting. “The food was unhealthy,” Hamza said. “He would vomit up everything he ate. He’d take a bite and immediately throw it up.”
Furthermore, Hamza said that the Israelis forced Dr. Abu Safiya to spend “seven consecutive days shackled by both hands and feet, making basic tasks such as eating, drinking, and using the bathroom unbearably difficult.”
In a bid to break him down, the Israelis forced Dr. Abu Safiya “to repeat insulting phrases about himself while under severe torture.”
Rami Abu Omeira, who was released from Israeli detention about six weeks ago, said that he witnessed Dr. Abu Safiya being terrorised by police dogs, which caused bruises on his body. “They stripped him of his clothes and set dogs on him,” Rami said. “The dogs attacked him, scratched him, and knocked him to the ground.”
The Israelis did not give the resilient doctor any respite, even as he tried to sleep. Rami said that the “prison forces deliberately raided the doctor’s sleeping area, throwing stun grenades and tear gas near him before forcibly transferring him in what he described as attempts to break his psychological resilience.”
Reports of extreme torture inflicted on Dr. Abu Safiya have abounded since his abduction in late December 2024. His lawyer earlier this year revealed extreme physical and mental abuse that caused Dr. Abu Safiya to lose 40 kg in body weight.
Rami warned that the doctor remains at serious risk of being killed or dying as a result of torture and called for urgent action to save his life and secure his release.
Dr. Abu Safiya endured grave hardship prior to his detention as he attempted to keep Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last standing hospital in northern Gaza at the time, running despite a weeks-long Israeli siege. The Israelis killed Ibrahim, Dr. Abu Safiya’s son, in a drone attack in the vicinity of the hospital. Soon after his abduction, the doctor’s mother died after suffering a heart attack. The Israelis did not allow him to attend her funeral prayers.
Despite appeals from Amnesty International, various UN agencies, and Palestinian human rights organisations calling for his release, Dr. Abu Safiya continues to endure unbearable conditions in Israeli detention. His only solace lies in prayer. According to Hamza, “Dr. Abu Safiya relied heavily on prayer and spirituality to endure detention, constantly asking Allah to ease his suffering and requesting prayers from fellow detainees.”
I’ve never put up a paywall, but this newsletter wouldn’t be possible without your support. If you are able, please consider supporting my work with a paid subscription here, on Ko-fi, or on Patreon. You can also buy me a coffee or two at the link below. Thank you!
I don’t understand why the fucking Arab countries remain silent about this and not do everything possible to save him from these fucking monsters and Nazis! Unbelievable!!!
Save Hussain Abu safiya
Save all the Palestinian hostages immediately