The family of Gaza doctor Hossam Abu Safiya has raised urgent alarm over his safety following the passage of a law by the Israeli Knesset permitting executions of prisoners. Abu Safiya, a paediatric and neonatal doctor, has been held since December 2024 after being abducted from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where he was working unarmed in his medical uniform amid a collapsing healthcare system. His health has severely deteriorated in detention, with multiple rib fractures, substantial weight loss, and declining eyesight.

During the raid that led to his detention, Israeli forces evacuated patients and staff, set parts of the hospital ablaze, and seized Abu Safiya. His family rejects the Israeli classification of him as an “unlawful combatant,” highlighting that he spent his life treating children and newborns while Gaza endured repeated bombardment described by human rights groups as a genocidal war. The trauma is compounded by the death of his son, Ibrahim, who was killed near the hospital in October 2024, and by injuries Abu Safiya himself sustained during the attacks.

The family warns that the new law could be applied to Abu Safiya and urges urgent international attention to ascertain his fate and ensure his protection. Humanitarian observers describe his case as emblematic of the broader dangers faced by medical personnel under occupation, highlighting the erosion of basic protections for civilians in Gaza.