Rights group raises concerns about jailed Dr Abu Safia amid strikes on Gaza

An Israeli rights group has accused Israeli authorities of ignoring the deteriorating health of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the jailed director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, as the Israeli army continues to launch attacks on the Strip.

It comes as two Israeli courts rejected petitions on Wednesday seeking to release 14 doctors from Gaza imprisoned without charge, and to allow Abu Safia to receive an independent medical examination.

The Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said it obtained an independent medical review of Abu Safia’s records showing a weight loss of 14kg (31lb) in four months, a significant drop in haemoglobin levels and chest pain that was not properly investigated.

The reviewer, Amit Tirosh, was not permitted to examine Abu Safia in person. He disputed an Israeli court’s finding that high blood pressure was his only medical problem, writing that the ruling “does not line up with the data”.

PHRI says the Israel Prison Service has refused to release Abu Safia’s latest medical file.

“Not only has he been deprived of his freedom without trial, but he is also being denied his basic right to an independent medical examination,” PHRI’s Naji Abbas said.

The Israeli army captured the doctor in December 2024 during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

PHRI said on Wednesday the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking the release of 14 doctors, including hospital directors and specialists in essential medical fields, who are being held in Israeli prisons without being charged or brought to trial.

PHRI argued that the prolonged arbitrary detentions – in some cases for more than two years – constitute a violation of their individual rights and further undermine Gaza’s healthcare system, which faces a severe shortage of medical professionals.

The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, finding no grounds to intervene in the Chief of Staff’s decision not to release the doctors. It maintained that their cases had been reviewed in light of changing circumstances and the shortage of doctors in Gaza, but that no exceptional grounds had been found to justify their release.

Gaza’s health sector has been largely destroyed during Israel’s genocidal war in the enclave since October 2023. Almost 90 percent of its overall infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Meanwhile, sources at al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera that an Israeli drone attack in the western part of Gaza City killed a Palestinian and injured others. Another Palestinian died from injuries caused by an Israeli attack on a family home in Gaza City on Tuesday.

Gaza continues to face regular Israeli attacks despite last year’s “ceasefire”. More than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the besieged enclave since the United States-brokered agreement, according to the territory’s ‌Ministry of Health.