MAP demands immediate release of critically ill Gaza hospital director in Israeli detention

Following a lawyer visit on 2 July 2026 to the Rakefet facility in Nitzan Prison, Dr Abu Safiya was reported to be suffering severe physical deterioration, including visible injuries, extreme weakness, breathing difficulties and psychological distress. According to his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, Dr Abu Safiya appeared at times close to losing consciousness and expressed fear that he would not survive detention.

Dr Abu Safiya has been detained by Israeli authorities since 27 December 2024 without charge or trial under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which permits prolonged detention without ordinary criminal due process safeguards. His latest detention order was upheld in June 2026, despite the absence of any public evidence against him.

Steve Cutts, MAP’s CEO, said: “We are hearing that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya is being beaten to the point of collapse in an Israeli prison. He has been charged with no crime; he simply treated patients. That seems to be a capital offence in the eyes of an occupying power that has killed more than 1,700 healthcare workers and destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system during 1,000 days of genocide.

Dr Abu Safiya’s case forms part of a wider, well documented pattern in which Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody are subjected to systematic ill‑treatment and torture, including severe beatings, stress positions and denial of medical care. Between October 2023 and August 2025, more than 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody, reinforcing concerns that abuse and medical neglect are not isolated incidents but entrenched practices.

Dr Abu Safiya is one of dozens of Palestinian healthcare workers who remain arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities. Since October 2023, at least 612 healthcare workers have been detained across Gaza and the West Bank, and at least five have reportedly died while detained.

• Demand the immediate release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and all other Palestinian healthcare workers and detainees held without charge.
• Secure urgent, independent medical assessment and access to Dr Abu Safiya by the International Committee of the Red Cross without delay.
• Support accountability measures including an independent investigation into torture and ill-treatment in Israeli detention, and other serious violations of international law.
• Suspend the UK-Israel trade agreement until Israel’s widespread violations of international law are brought to an end.

[ENDS]

1. Dr Abu Safiya’s case must be understood in the broader context of widespread reports of torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody. The UN Human Rights Office stated in September 2025 that it had documented or received credible evidence of Israeli authorities subjecting Palestinian detainees to repeated beatings, waterboarding, stress positions, sexual violence, starvation, denial of hygiene, and denial of medical care, and said these practices may amount to war crimes and, in some circumstances, crimes against humanity.
2. The same UN statement reported that at least 75 Palestinians died in Israeli detention between 7 October 2023 and 31 August 2025, with Israeli authorities also reporting the deaths of another 19 detainees whose identities could not be verified from the available information. The UN further stated that, unless rebutted by investigations meeting international standards, Israel remains responsible for every death in custody.
3. An independent UN Commission of Inquiry found that, in Gaza, Israel has implemented a concerted policy to destroy the healthcare system, and that its forces have “deliberately killed, wounded, arrested, detained, mistreated and tortured medical personnel and targeted medical vehicles,” constituting the war crimes of wilful killing and mistreatment, and the crime against humanity of extermination.

Steve Cutts, MAP’s CEO, is available for interview on request. Please contact MAP’s press office to arrange at:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0) 203 869 1310

Medical Aid for Palestinians works for a future where every Palestinian has access to a comprehensive, effective and locally-led system of healthcare, and the full realisation of their rights to health and dignity. We work in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.