The mother of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has reportedly died of a heart attack as Israel has refused to provide updates on the condition of the doctor as they hold him hostage in Israel’s most notorious torture camp for Palestinian detainees.
Her death was reported by Palestinian media outlets and MedGlobal, for which Abu Safiya is a lead physician. The head of MedGlobal, Zaher Sahloul, said in a press briefing that she died of “severe sadness” at the abduction and imprisonment of her son.
Abu Safiya’s Instagram account, where he often shared updates about Israel’s assaults of Kamal Adwan amid the genocide, also posted about her death. The account noted that Abu Safiya also lost his son recently in an Israeli attack.
“A new chapter of pain is added to the life of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has always been a symbol of patience and sacrifice. After losing his son while on duty, today he mourns the loss of his beloved mother, who passed away from a heart attack while he was unjustly and forcibly taken away from her,” the post said.
On December 27, Israeli forces totally took over Kamal Adwan after having attacked the facility and the neighborhood surrounding it for nearly two months straight. Soldiers detained numerous medical staff, including Abu Safiya. In his last update from the hospital, Abu Safiya said that Israeli forces were in the process of burning major units of the hospital in a “complete siege.”
In the following days, pictures and reports emerged showing that Abu Safiya had been arrested by Israeli forces and taken to Israel’s Sde Teiman camp — a brutal torture camp where soldiers rape, torture and sometimes kill Palestinian detainees, reports have found.
Palestinians released from the prison said that Abu Safiya was there and that Israeli forces had beaten the doctor severely just in his first days there. Many Palestinians have noted that Israeli forces have targeted health care workers with violence and arrest throughout the genocide; Israeli forces have also imprisoned Ahmed Muhanna, the director of northern Gaza’s Al-Awda Hospital, for over a year now.
Last week, Israeli authorities claimed that they had “no indication of the arrest or detention” of Abu Safiya, in response to an inquiry by Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI), despite numerous sources reporting his detention there.
After backlash, Israeli forces acknowledged that Abu Safiya was being detained, claiming it was due to suspicion of terrorist activity. Officials have provided zero evidence for this claim, and Israel is notorious for detaining Palestinians, including children, without charges.
Human rights advocates have called for updates on his condition and for his release. Amnesty International has called for him to be granted access to a lawyer and his family. However, PHRI said that Israel forces prevented a lawyer from meeting with Abu Safiya when the lawyer requested a visit on Sunday, saying that the lawyer can’t meet with Abu Safiya until January 10. PHRI has filed a petition in court demanding information on his whereabouts and condition.
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