UN Experts Urge Israel to Release Gaza Doctor Amid Reports of ‘Severe Torture’ and Systematic Medical Denial

UN experts have demanded that Israel immediately release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian physician from Gaza, following credible reports that he has been subjected to severe torture and is being systematically denied life-sustaining medical care while in detention.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, UN special rapporteurs Tlaleng Mofokeng and Ben Saul expressed grave alarm over the health and wellbeing of the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Dr. Abu Safiya has been held by Israeli forces since December 27, 2024, under Israel’s “unlawful combatant” law, despite his status as a civilian medical practitioner.

“We have received reports that Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture and other cruel and degrading treatment, and that his health condition remains dire,” the experts said. “He has been systematically denied critical medical examination and treatment, and deprived of essential care to such an extent that his life, health, and wellbeing have been gravely endangered.”

The experts Mofokeng, the UN special rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health, and Saul, the special rapporteur on the protection of human rights while countering terrorism described his detention as “flagrantly arbitrary” and inconsistent with international standards, including the Mandela Rules, which mandate access to healthcare for all detainees.

A Symbol of Systemic Targeting

Dr. Abu Safiya was arrested after refusing to abandon Kamal Adwan Hospital, which at the time was the last functioning health facility in northern Gaza amid intense Israeli military operations. His detention has become a symbol of what human rights groups describe as Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers and the decimation of Gaza’s medical infrastructure.

Amnesty International condemned his arrest as “a reflection of Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the decimation of the healthcare system in Gaza in order to inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians.”

The UN experts echoed this concern, stating that Abu Safiya “has suffered an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, violation of his human rights, including the right of every human being to be free from torture and ill treatment, and his right to health is being eroded.”

Warnings of a Broader Collapse

The case comes amid a documented pattern of violence against medical personnel and facilities in Gaza. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 930 attacks on the healthcare sector have been recorded since October 2023. All 36 hospitals in the Strip have suffered damage, and only half remain partially functional.

Humanitarian group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that at least 1,722 medical workers were killed between October 2023 and October 2025 an average of more than two deaths per day.

Despite a recent ceasefire, the UN experts noted that abuses against healthcare workers and facilities have continued. They stressed that all states have an obligation to protect medical personnel and ensure detainees’ rights, including freedom from torture and access to medical care.

Call for International Action

The experts urged the international community particularly states “with influence on Israel” to intervene to “ensure prevention, recourse and justice.”

“Israel must release Dr. Abu Safiya and all healthcare workers, and ensure they have access to appropriate medical care,” the statement concluded.

As of Tuesday, Israeli authorities had not publicly responded to the UN experts’ demands. Dr. Abu Safiya remains in custody without charge or trial.

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