Key facts
- UN experts have called for the immediate release of Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
- They described the detention of Abu Safiya and other health workers as arbitrary.
- The experts stated the detention reflects Israel's systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers.
- Dr. Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024.
- The experts cited Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law, which they deem incompatible with international law.
United Nations experts have urged Israel to immediately release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian physician, and all other health and care workers who they say are being arbitrarily detained. The experts stated that Dr. Abu Safiya's continued detention without charge or trial is indicative of Israel's systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the ongoing destruction of Gaza's health system, aiming to inflict conditions leading to the mental and physical destruction of Palestinians.
Dr. Abu Safiya, who serves as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained by Israeli forces on December 27, 2024. At the time of his detention, the hospital was the last functioning medical facility in northern Gaza. The independent experts, including special rapporteurs Francesca Albanese, Tlaleng Mofokeng, Morris Tidball-Binz, and Ben Saul, noted that Dr. Abu Safiya and other medical staff were illegally detained alongside patients under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law. This statute has previously been identified by the experts as being incompatible with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.