By Anam Alam

 

ISRAELI OCCUPIED GAZA, 18 July. - (ANA) - Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was beaten again by Israeli forces and is currently being held in solitary confinement.

 

Imprisoned Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is being beaten in Israeli custody while being held without charge, his lawyers have said, amid continued fears for his life.

 

Dr Abu Safiya’s lawyers delivered a message to his son on Tuesday, in which he revealed he was beaten again by Israeli prison guards and is being held in solitary confinement.

 

Now imprisoned for over a year, his family members, as well as activists and politicians, are making urgent calls for him to be released from Israeli detention.

 

“Every day that passes is another day of suffering,” Elias Abu Safiya, the doctor’s son, told The New Arab. “We continue to receive deeply worrying reports about his deteriorating health after months of torture, abuse, and medical neglect.”

 

“We fear that every piece of news we receive could be the last.”

 

Elias noted that his father has lost a “tremendous amount” of weight, after a harrowing image was released showing a marked change in the doctor’s appearance when he was taken to an Israeli court.

 

Abu Safiya looked fatigued and sleep-deprived with visible bruises and what looked like a skin infection on his shackled arms – his first public appearance in months.

 

Elias continues to be greatly afraid for his father, but hopes that one day he will one day walk free.

 

“As a son, I live between hope and fear,” he said. “Every morning I wake up wondering if my father is still alive. Every phone call makes my heart race.”

 

“My family has already lost so much, but the thought of losing my father while the world watches in silence is unbearable.”

 

Along with healthcare workers and patients, Abu Safiya was detained on 21 December 2024 while Israeli forces carried out a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the hospital he managed and worked in as a paediatrician.

 

Israel claims Abu Safiya has links to Palestinian group Hamas, but he has not been formally charged, nor has there been a trial.

 

His detention is based on the abusive Unlawful Combatants’ Law, which allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians from Gaza for prolonged periods without trial.

 

“What hurts us most is that he is being punished simply because he refused to abandon his patients,” Abu Safiya said. “He chose to stay with the wounded children of Gaza until the very end, and today he is paying the price for his humanity.”

 

Dr Abu Safiya tirelessly ran the hospital amid Israeli bombardment. A photo of him walking through the rubble of the hospital to get to work previously went viral. It was taken shortly after another of his sons was killed in an Israeli strikes.

 

As lawyers warned he is in “imminent danger”, prominent politicians and human rights organisations around the world have urged his release, including UK politician Jeremy Corbyn, the US’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Amnesty International. Protests have also taken place in the UK and France.

 

“I believe he will be released because the truth cannot remain imprisoned forever,” Elias added. “Every day without action places his life in greater danger.”

 

“His freedom depends on international pressure, public solidarity, and governments choosing justice over silence. We cannot wait until it is too late and then say, ‘We should have done more.’”

 

As of today, Dr Abu Safiya has now spent his 574th day in Israeli prison, with no indication of when he might be released, while Elias calls for the international community to act.

 

“The world must act now, not tomorrow, not after another report, not after another tragedy,” Abu Safiya said. “Doctors should not be imprisoned for saving lives. Hospitals should never become battlefields, and humanitarian workers should never become targets.

 

“My father dedicated his life to protecting children. Today, he needs the world to protect him. Silence will not save him. Action might,” he said.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/18 July 2026 - - -