UPDATE - Gaza hospital director subjected to torture, brutal abuse in Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman prison: Palestinian lawyer

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By Iyad Nabolsi and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Palestinian lawyer confirmed on Monday that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, was subjected to torture and brutal abuse in Israeli prisons.

In late December, Israeli forces arrested Abu Safiya after storming Kamal Adwan Hospital, removing him at gunpoint following the destruction of the hospital, which was rendered inoperable.

Palestinian lawyer Ghaid Qassem from Nazareth was able to visit Abu Safiya last Thursday, according to a statement from the Hamas-affiliated Prisoners’ Media Office.

The Gaza doctor has been detained for over 70 days in Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, she added.

Quoting Abu Safiya, Qassem stated that "from the moment of his arrest, he was transferred to the notorious Sde Teiman detention center, where he was held in solitary confinement for 14 days."

Regarding his interrogation, Qassem revealed that "the longest session lasted for 13 consecutive days, with each session ranging from 8 to 10 hours."

She emphasized that throughout his detention, Abu Safiya was "subjected to continuous and extremely brutal mistreatment, torture, and abuse."

After his initial detention at the notorious Sde Teiman prison, Abu Safiya was later transferred to Ofer Prison, where he was placed in solitary confinement for 25 days before being moved to Section 24 with other detainees from Gaza.

According to lawyer Qassem, "this section, along with Section 23, is designated for Gaza detainees, keeping them isolated from other Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank and inside Israel."

The lawyer said that during their meeting, Abu Safiya's first concern was about his son, who was killed two months before his arrest. He had been unable to give him a proper burial and had temporarily laid him to rest near Kamal Adwan Hospital. "His primary question was whether his son had been reburied with dignity, along with concerns about losing his mother, who passed away 10 days after his arrest," Qassem explained.

She added that Abu Safiya was unaware of the widespread media attention surrounding his case, and said: "Prisoners are almost entirely isolated and have no knowledge of what is happening outside, including developments in Gaza."

According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports, more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails, including women and children. They suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to multiple deaths in custody.

- Sde Teiman a ‘slaughterhouse’

Describing the conditions inside Sde Teiman, Qassem said: "If we talk about this prison, it is a slaughterhouse in every sense of the word. The torture, violations, and starvation are unprecedented."

She detailed harrowing accounts of prisoners "shackled for 10 months straight, amputees denied medical care, and elderly detainees bound and blindfolded."

Also, "prisoners endure freezing temperatures in open-air cages, are constantly exposed to wind and rain, and are forced to sit on the ground while being forbidden to speak, pray, or read the Quran."

Psychological torture is also rampant. "Israeli intelligence often tells prisoners that their entire families have been killed, whether true or not," Qassem noted, adding that such tactics leave deep psychological scars.

- Forced media appearance and physical abuse

Referring to a report aired by Israel’s Channel 13, which showed Abu Safiya in detention, Qassem said: "He was caught off guard by the filming. He was not informed, and after the interview, he was isolated, humiliated, beaten, and tortured."

In February, Israeli media released a video showing Abu Safiya handcuffed and appearing exhausted inside prison. This came shortly after Israeli authorities placed him under “unlawful combatant” status, stripping him of legal protections and subjecting him to indefinite detention, mistreatment, and medical neglect.

Qassem explained that Israeli authorities initially attempted to file a criminal case against Abu Safiya but failed to find any evidence against him after 45 days of interrogation. "When they couldn’t build a case, they reverted to classifying him as an 'unlawful combatant'," she said.

Under this designation, Abu Safiya is denied basic legal rights, including representation or a formal indictment. "His detention is repeatedly extended without charge," she added.

Despite his ordeal, Qassem described Abu Safiya’s morale as strong. "Before I left, he emphasized one message: ‘A person is their history, and history is built upon the stands they take'."

Nearly 48,500 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught was paused under the ceasefire and prisoner swap deal, which took hold in January.

Last 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.