Israeli court denies Gaza doctor's release appeal

• Israel's Supreme Court denied an appeal for the release of Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya.
• Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been detained without charge since late 2024.
• The court's decision was based on confidential materials not shared with the detainee or his lawyer.
• Human rights groups allege Abu Safiya has faced medical neglect, beatings, and solitary confinement.
• The Israeli military accuses Abu Safiya of Hamas membership, a claim denied by Gaza's health ministry and Hamas.

Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal to release Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian doctor and director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been held without charge since his capture in late 2024. He is one of at least 14 doctors from Gaza detained in Israel for over a year without charge.

The court based its decision on "confidential materials" that were not disclosed to Abu Safiya or his lawyer, Nasser Odeh. Odeh stated that the ruling allows for indefinite detention without evidence presented in open court.

Abu Safiya appeared by video link at a hearing last Wednesday, looking noticeably thinner. PHRI reported that he has also been held in solitary confinement for the past 13 days. His lawyer and human rights groups allege he has been denied adequate food and assaulted in prison, claims that the Israeli prison service has denied.

The Israeli military has accused Abu Safiya of being a member of Hamas, an allegation denied by Gaza's health ministry and Hamas. In 2023, Abu Safiya was among doctors who refused to evacuate newborns from their care unit when ordered by the Israeli military.