The United Nations investigation expressed worry on Wednesday about alleged mistreatment of a well-known Palestinian physician captured by the Israeli military in Gaza in December 2024 and currently detained in Israel. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, called for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safiya, who serves as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza. Various rights organizations and Abu Safiya’s legal representative have raised concerns about his precarious health condition and his prolonged detention without formal charges. Physicians for Human Rights Israel, an Israeli human rights group, reported these claims.
According to a statement from the UN inquiry, the treatment of Palestinian detainees by Israeli Prison Service guards raises significant concerns of potential violations of international law that could amount to international crimes. The inquiry linked Dr. Abu Safiya’s deteriorating medical state directly to these alleged actions. In response, an Israel Prison Service representative dismissed the accusations as baseless and false.
Although not specifically naming Abu Safiya, the Israel Prison Service had previously denied mistreatment allegations involving him and other medical professionals in custody. Abu Safiya’s lawyer recently voiced concerns about his client’s declining health and daily abuse. In a court hearing via video link in June, Abu Safiya appeared visibly thinner in his face and abdomen, indicating potential health issues.
The UN inquiry highlighted that the reported treatment of Abu Safiya by Israeli authorities mirrors a broader pattern of violations identified in previous reports. In a separate development, a UN human rights body criticized Israel’s detention of Abu Safiya as arbitrary and called for his immediate release, citing violations of human rights declarations and international treaties.
On the same day, Israeli airstrikes and gunfire in Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians, including two young children. Health officials reported that an Israeli airstrike near a school in Gaza City resulted in one fatality and a dozen injuries. Another airstrike in the Mawasi area in Khan Younis led to four deaths, including a 10-year-old child. Additionally, a six-year-old boy was reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza City, with further strikes causing more casualties.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on these incidents. Since a ceasefire agreement with Hamas last October, Israel has conducted multiple strikes in Gaza, targeting militants deemed threatening or linked to past attacks. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, with conflicting reports on casualties over the past nine months.