Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Gives New Testimony from Israeli Prison

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya in the first publicly circulated image since his detention by Israeli forces in December 2024. (Photo: via social media)

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has reported continued beatings, sleep deprivation and threats aimed at preventing him from discussing his detention conditions.

Reposted from Palestine Chronicle, September 2, 2026

Key Developments

Abu Safiya told his lawyer that Israeli prison guards continue to beat him with their hands, feet and batons.
He said guards deliberately deprive him of sleep and threatened him against discussing his detention conditions.
A medical rights group is seeking an independent examination amid concerns over his health.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, has provided new testimony describing continued physical abuse, sleep deprivation and threats by Israeli prison guards, according to a written statement provided by his lawyer.

The testimony followed a visit by his lawyer on Sunday, August 30, during which Abu Safiya said guards continued to beat him on different parts of his body, including sensitive areas, using their hands, feet and batons.

He also said prison authorities deliberately deprived him of sleep by creating noise and using loudspeakers during nighttime hours.

According to the testimony, Abu Safiya was assaulted following an earlier visit by his lawyer and was subsequently threatened and warned against passing information to his legal counsel about the conditions of his detention.

Abu Safiya has been held by Israel since December 2024 without charge or trial.

Independent Medical Examination

The new testimony comes as Physicians for Human Rights Israel continues legal proceedings seeking permission for an independent physician to examine Abu Safiya amid concerns over his health.

The organization submitted a request on July 7 for internal medicine specialist Dr. Amit Tirosh to examine him. After permission was not granted, the group petitioned an Israeli administrative court.

The Israel Prison Service recently requested additional time to respond to the petition, while the organization maintains that there is no justification for further delaying an independent examination.

Concerns intensified after Abu Safiya was transferred on August 10 from the underground Rakevet facility, where he had been held in isolation, to the Israel Prison Service medical center at Ramla Prison.

He remained there for approximately one week and underwent several examinations that, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel, revealed health problems.

The organization said the exceptional decision to transfer Abu Safiya to the prison medical facility itself indicated significant medical needs and strengthened the case for an immediate independent second opinion.

Official Israel Prison Service medical records obtained by Physicians for Human Rights Israel documented an injury to his left eye, while Abu Safiya had also complained to medical personnel about injuries to his head and chest.

The organization said the latest testimony indicated a continuing “pattern of deliberate mistreatment,” citing the reported beatings, sleep deprivation and threats intended to prevent Abu Safiya from informing his lawyer about his detention conditions.

It said the accumulation of testimony and evidence of physical harm had made an independent and immediate medical examination increasingly urgent.

Detained Gaza Doctors

The case comes amid separate legal proceedings concerning 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza, including Abu Safiya, who are being held by Israel without charge or trial.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel has petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court seeking their release.

The court has ordered the state to clarify by September 13 whether the Israeli military chief of staff, or an official acting under his authority, specifically considered the request to release the 14 doctors under powers granted by law, taking their status as physicians into account.

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