Quick summary:
• Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on December 27, setting the last functional hospital in the region ablaze and rendering it inoperative.
• Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the hospital’s director, was abducted during the raid and is believed to be held at Sde Teiman, a notorious Israeli detention facility known for torture and abuse.
• Witnesses report Israeli soldiers forced hospital staff and patients outside, subjected them to degrading treatment, and destroyed vital medical infrastructure.
• Sde Teiman has been described by former detainees as a site of brutal torture, with reports of rape, electrocution, and forced amputations.
• Global medical and human rights organizations are demanding Dr. Abu Safia’s immediate release and calling for an end to attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system.
• The World Health Organization and Red Cross have condemned the systematic targeting of Gaza’s hospitals, warning of a total collapse of healthcare services.
• Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 45,000 Palestinians, with more than 1,000 healthcare workers killed or detained, exacerbating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
The abduction of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, during a devastating Israeli military raid has sparked international outrage. Medical and human rights organizations around the globe are demanding his immediate release from Sde Teiman, a notorious detention facility in Israel known for allegations of torture and abuse.
On December 27, Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, rendering it inoperative. Witnesses reported that troops set fire to the hospital, forcing staff and patients outside under duress. Medical personnel were reportedly rounded up, stripped of their clothing, and detained for hours.
Dr. Abu Safia, a prominent physician who had been working tirelessly under harrowing conditions, was seen walking alone through the rubble toward an Israeli tank before being taken into custody. The raid not only destroyed vital healthcare infrastructure but also displaced critically ill patients, leaving them without proper medical care.
Dr. Abu Safia is now believed to be held at Sde Teiman, a detention camp in Israel’s Negev Desert infamous for its brutal conditions. Former detainees have recounted horrifying experiences, including torture, rape, and forced amputations. “I heard them calling his name,” said Yahya Zaqout, a recently released prisoner who was detained in a cell next to Dr. Abu Safia.
Relatives of Dr. Abu Safia are consumed with worry. “Sde Teiman is known for brutality and torture. We can’t imagine what our father is going through in that place and if he is well or not, warm or cold, hungry or in pain,” his family told CNN.
Medical organizations and human rights defenders have unequivocally condemned Dr. Abu Safia’s detention and the broader targeting of Gaza’s healthcare system.
“We demand the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safia and an end to the bombing of hospitals and targeted kidnapping and killing of healthcare workers in Gaza,” stated Doctors for Humanity, a coalition of medical advocacy groups.
Amnesty International’s secretary-general, Agnès Callamard, praised Dr. Abu Safia as “the voice of Gaza’s decimated health sector” and expressed grave concern over his fate. “He must be released immediately and unconditionally,” she asserted.
The abduction of Dr. Abu Safia is part of a broader assault on Gaza’s healthcare system. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 45,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and have systematically targeted medical facilities. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed and hundreds detained during this period.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decried the attacks, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling for an immediate cease-fire. “Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds,” he said. “We repeat: Stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to healthcare.”
The destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital underscores the catastrophic impact of Israel’s military campaign on Gaza’s already strained healthcare system. Hospitals across the region are overwhelmed, lacking critical supplies and staff. Patients face dire consequences, with many unable to access the care they need.
The International Red Cross has warned that Gaza’s health infrastructure is on the brink of collapse, with devastating implications for the civilian population. “Repeated hostilities in and around hospitals have obliterated the healthcare system in northern Gaza, putting civilians at an unacceptably grave risk of going without lifesaving care,” the organization said in a statement.
As reports of atrocities continue to emerge, the international medical community is taking action. A “Call in Sick from Genocide” global day of action is planned for January 6, with healthcare professionals urging institutions to sever ties with Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.
“What we’re seeing is genocide… accelerated through targeting the people who are supposed to heal,” said Dr. Rupa Marya, a University of California, San Francisco professor and advocate for Palestinian rights.
The international community is also pressing for accountability. The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a genocide case against Israel, brought by South Africa and supported by numerous countries and rights groups.
As Dr. Zaher Sahloul of MedGlobal noted, “Dr. Abu Safia’s arrest is not only unjust—it is a violation of international humanitarian law, which upholds the protection of medical personnel in conflict zones. We urgently call for his immediate and unconditional release.”
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