Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

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Gaza hospital director Abu Safia being held ‘hostage’ by Israel: Rights group

A leading Palestinian rights group has expressed grave concern that Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the imprisoned director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza who was abducted by Israeli forces in December 2024, is being held “hostage” by Israel.

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement that Abu Safia is being arbitrarily detained in an Israeli prison, and Israel’s failure to free him under the recent Gaza ceasefire deal indicated that his detention will likely be extended.

An Israeli court is set to rule on Thursday morning in a closed-door hearing on extending his detention by another six months.

“The prolonged detention without charges of Dr Abu Safia, amid documented accounts of torture, inhumane detention conditions, and the absence of any indication of release, indicates that he is being held as a hostage,” Al Mezan said.

“Al Mezan warns that Israel may be using his detention, along with that of thousands of other Palestinians, as political leverage in ongoing ceasefire negotiations,” the group said.

Israel’s use of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as bargaining chips in negotiations “constitutes hostage-taking under international humanitarian law”, it said.

The international community must take immediate action against Israel and make it “end its systematic and widespread use of arbitrary detention and the unlawful holding of Palestinians as hostages”, it added.


Israeli court extends detention of ex-Gaza hospital director, says human rights centre

The Palestinian Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has reported that Israel’s Beersheba Court held a session to consider extending the detention of former Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya, who attended the session via video conference.

According to the centre, during the session, the court issued a decision to extend his detention for six months under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law.

It added that a lawyer from Al Mezan filed an objection to the “illegality of his detention, given the lack of evidence to convict him”.

Abu Safiya has been held in Israeli detention without charge or trial since December last year.