Free Dr. Abu Safiya: Calls Grow for Israel to Release Imprisoned Gaza Healthcare Workers
Pressure is mounting for Israel to release many more detainees as part of the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire deal, including Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Dr. Abu Safiya has been held under harsh conditions without charge since December, when Israeli troops stormed the hospital, claiming without evidence it was a Hamas command center. He was taken out at gunpoint along with patients he had refused to abandon.
Famous footage shows him wearing his white medical coat as he climbed over rubble to walk toward an Israeli tank before he was detained.
“They are facing a very serious risk for their health and for their lives,” says Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel. “They are facing violence daily.”
Abu Safiya is one of at least 19 doctors held in Israeli detention without charge.
Author's summary: Israel urged to release detained Gaza healthcare workers.