3 January 2025

Amnesty Secretary General calls on Israel to disclose Dr Safiyeh’s whereabouts

Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International and former UN Special Rapporteur has called on Israeli authorities to disclose the location of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh after they denied he had been detained.

The renowned pediatrician was reportedly beaten and detained on Dec 27 by IOF forces when they raided Kamal Adwan Hospital. He refused to leave the hospital while there were patients there.

IOF forces are reported to have destroyed oxygen supplies, removed tubes from critically ill patients in the ICU, including children and babies, burnt medical departments, including the archive department which had some staff still inside, and forcibly removed other medical staff, patients and displaced families.

Writing on X, Ms Callamard said:

“We are extremely alarmed by the latest information we have received regarding the whereabouts of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyyah, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. He should now be considered as victim of enforced disappeared, and as such at great risk of torture and ill-treatment. Israel authorities must urgently disclose the location of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh.

“Dr. Abu Safiyyah was reportedly arrested on December 27, 2024, when IDF forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital. Video footage from that day shows the senior doctor walking toward an IDF armored vehicle before being taken for questioning. Following the incident, an IDF spokesperson confirmed his arrest and stated that he had been transferred for interrogation. However, since then, no further information has been provided about his whereabouts.

“But on Thursday January 1st, the Israeli military informed Physicians for Human Rights that they have no record of Dr. Abu Safiyyah’s detention. This response came after PHRI, acting on behalf of Dr. Abu Safiyyah’s family requested information to facilitate a lawyer’s visit on January 2.

In its response to PHRI’s inquiry, the military stated:

"Following your inquiry, we would like to inform you that a review has found no indication of the arrest or detention of the individual in question."

In light of this denial, PHRI has now filed a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) on Thursday, demanding immediate disclosure of Dr. Abu Safiyyah’s location.

Since October 2023, Israel has detained hundreds of Palestinian healthcare workers from Gaza without charge or trial. Health workers have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and been held in incommunicado detention.