Ramallah / Anadolu

The Palestinian mission to the United Nations on Monday urged the international community to take urgent action to secure the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, from Israeli prisons, and to protect Palestinian medical personnel.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi, sent an urgent message to the UN and a number of international and humanitarian organizations, calling for urgent action to release Abu Safiya.

Khraishi said that Abu Safiya has been detained in Israeli prisons since December 27, 2024, without charge or trial, and has been subjected to torture, ill-treatment, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care.

He added that special rapporteurs and the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel have documented the torture of Abu Safiya and warned that his health condition poses an imminent risk to his life, demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

In his message, Khraishi addressed the targeting and detention of Palestinian medical personnel, noting that their targeting 'is part of a broader pattern of grave violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.'

He stressed that Israel, as 'the occupying power,' is obligated to respect and protect health workers and ensure their safety under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

In his message, Khraishi called on the international community to take urgent measures including the immediate and safe release of Abu Safiya and all arbitrarily detained Palestinian health workers, and ensuring they receive independent medical care.

He also demanded allowing humanitarian and human rights organizations access to detention facilities, and taking the necessary diplomatic and legal measures to end violations and ensure accountability for those responsible.

He considered that protecting Palestinian medical teams 'represents a test of the credibility of the international legal system and its ability to enforce its basic rules.'

The Israeli army arrested Abu Safiya on December 27, 2024, during its raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza Strip, where he served as hospital director, amid Israel's genocidal war in the enclave.

Abu Safiya appeared to have lost weight compared to his appearance before his arrest, as shown in a video call during a court session on June 10 of last year.

According to Palestinian prisoner institutions, Israel holds about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, including 350 children, 99 women, and 3,244 administrative detainees, amid accusations of torture, starvation, and medical neglect.

On October 8, 2023, Israel launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of over 73,000 Palestinians and injuries to more than 173,000, along with widespread destruction affecting about 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure.

Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued to carry out airstrikes, gunfire, and demolition operations in various areas of the Gaza Strip, while Israel has expanded its occupation to about 70 percent of its area, confining Palestinians to no more than 30 percent.