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SvennoJ 3 days ago
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MedGlobal demands Abu Safia’s immediate release

Zaher Sahloul, the president of MedGlobal, which employs Abu Safia as its lead physician in Gaza, has released a statement on his arrest.

Dr. Abu Safia “has dedicated his life to protecting the health and lives of children in Gaza, providing care under conditions no medical professional should have to endure,” Sahloul said.

“His arrest is not only unjust — it is a violation of international humanitarian law, which upholds the protection of medical personnel in conflict zones. MedGlobal urgently calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu [Safia].”


Calls grow for Abu Safia’s release

Palestinians and activists are taking to social media calling on Israel to release Dr Abu Safia. Many of them shared a picture of the doctor, in his white coat, walking towards an Israeli tank.

  • Abu Safia is a paediatrician by training.
  • He has refused multiple Israeli orders to evacuate Kamal Adwan Hospital.
  • He was briefly arrested and released when Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan in late October. The military detained 44 of the hospital’s staff, leaving Abu Safia and a handful of medical workers to care for dozens of wounded people there.
  • During that same operation, Israeli forces killed Abu Safia’s son, Ibrahim, in a drone strike on the gate of the hospital. The doctor, who led the funeral prayers for his son in Kamal Adwan’s courtyard, accused the Israeli military of killing his son to punish him for refusing to evacuate the hospital.
  • Abu Safia has kept the world informed of Israel’s near-daily attacks on the hospital since October, issuing video statements and pleading for international intervention to end the relentless bombardment.
  • Abu Safia was wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli attack on the hospital on November 23, but he pleaded to continue his work. “This will not stop us,” he said. “I was injured at my workplace, and that is an honour. My blood is no more precious than that of my colleagues or the people we serve. I will return to my patients as soon as I recover.”

Abu Safia is a hero, his arrest is meant as a warning to other doctors

Dr Ali Elaydi, an orthopaedic surgeon who is originally from Gaza, says Israel’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the arrest of Dr Abu Safia are aimed at emptying the north of the enclave of its residents.

“It essentially robs the entire population of northern Gaza of any sustainable medical care. I believe this is truly intentional to force the people out of northern Gaza,” Elaydi said from the US city of Dallas.

“It is systematic. [The Israelis] have decided that without medical care, they [the Palestinians in north Gaza] would have to evacuate.”  Elaydi, who worked as a medical volunteer in Gaza in April, described Israel’s arrest of Abu Safia as a warning.

“Dr Abu Safia is one of the most outspoken physicians in north Gaza, speaking on behalf of the people of the north Gaza… and them [the Israelis] detaining him, beating him and questioning him, has been undeniably intentional, so that they could make anyone who questions their behaviour punishable,” Elaydi said.

“It is a warning to every other physician to not speak out for their patients.”

Elaydi added, “He is a hero standing up for the Palestinian people and I aspire to be who he is.”