UN Demands Release of Detained Gaza Pediatrician at Risk of Death

Since his capture at Kamal Adwan Hospital in December 2024, Dr. Abu Safiya has been held without charge. Israel alleges he maintained ties to Hamas, a claim medical advocates dismiss as a misinterpretation of his administrative role within Gaza’s medical services. Following his recent transfer to the Rakefet facility at Nitzan Prison, his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, described the doctor as nearly unrecognizable, suffering from severe head and neck injuries and struggling to breathe.

During a July 2 visit, the physician told his counsel he feared he would not survive the conditions, marking a sharp decline in his physical and psychological state. Amnesty International and the American Human Rights Council have joined the UN in demanding his immediate transfer and release, warning that international inaction serves only to enable further state-sanctioned violence against healthcare workers. The case remains a flashpoint for international human rights organizations, who argue that the physician’s detention is an unlawful attempt to suppress a prominent voice documenting the collapse of Gaza’s medical infrastructure.