Dr. Husam Abu Safia ‘is one of thousands of detainees from Gaza facing the crime of enforced disappearance,' says Palestinian Prisoners Society
The Palestinian Prisoners Society warned Thursday of “a danger” to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, following the Israeli military's denial of any records proving his arrest.
Earlier in the day, Munir al-Bursh, the director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said the ministry submitted a request through the Physicians for Human Rights organization to inquire about Abu Safia's fate, but the Israeli occupation responded by saying that it has no detainee by that name.
Al-Bursh told the Al Jazeera news channel that there is concern that the Israeli occupation may execute Dr. Abu Safia after his arrest about a week ago.
In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that Dr. Abu Safia “is one of thousands of detainees from Gaza facing the crime of enforced disappearance.”
The group said that "despite clear evidence of Dr. Abu Safia's arrest on Dec. 27, 2024, the occupation is denying what it had previously stated and is also dismissing the evidence, including photos and videos it published as well as testimonies from some detainees who were released."
It held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for his fate.
It also reiterated its call for the "international human rights system to save what remains of its role amid the ongoing genocide, after its function has eroded due to a frightening state of impotence."
Last Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry announced the arrest of Abu Safia by the Israeli military in northern Gaza.
On Friday, Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, set it on fire, rendered it out of service, and detained over 350 people inside, including Abu Safia.
Since the onset of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military has been targeting Gaza's health sector, bombing and besieging hospitals, issuing evacuation orders, and preventing the entry of medical supplies, especially in northern Gaza, which was re-invaded on Oct. 5.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the enclave that has killed over 45,550 people, mostly women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
