A prominent campaign by a leading rights body has urged Israeli authorities to free Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of a major hospital in northern Gaza, who has been held in detention since 27 December 2024.

According to the organisation, Dr Abu Safiya, a key figure in the beleaguered healthcare system of the Gaza Strip, was arrested during a raid on the hospital he headed, and has remained in custody without charge or trial under the “Unlawful Combatants” law. A legal visit confirmed that he has suffered significant weight loss and reportedly ill-treatment, and has only recently been allowed access to a lawyer. 

The rights body argues that his case reflects a broader pattern of targeting medical professionals and the systematic crippling of medical services in Gaza amid a genocidal war. Dr Abu Safiya’s extended administrative detention, renewed for another six months, has drawn sharp criticism from his family, who say the ongoing incarceration without due process is a heavy psychological and humanitarian burden.