Gaza, MINA – The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, has lost more than one-third of his body weight while being held in Israeli detention, his defense lawyer revealed on Tuesday.
“When Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was arrested, he weighed 97 kilograms (around 214 pounds). Now, I believe he weighs no more than 60 kilograms (132 pounds),” said his lawyer, Gheed Kassem, in an interview with Haaretz following a prison visit, as cited by Anadolu Agency.
Kassem reported that Abu Safiya was beaten by Israeli prison guards on June 24, the same day Israel’s conflict with Iran ended.
“He suffered injuries to his chin and back and remains in pain,” she stated. “They also destroyed the glasses I had managed to bring him during my previous visit.”
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She added that Abu Safiya is suffering from an untreated irregular heartbeat and is being held in a cold, damp underground cell in Ofer Prison without access to daylight.
In February, Israeli media aired footage showing Abu Safiya in custody, handcuffed and visibly exhausted. This footage was released shortly after Israeli authorities designated him as an “illegal combatant.”
An Israeli court extended his detention for six months in late March, according to a statement from Hamas’s Prisoners’ Media Office.
Abu Safiya has endured deep personal losses during the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza. On October 26, 2024, his son Ibrahim was killed in an Israeli military raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital.
A month later, on November 24, an Israeli airstrike injured Abu Safiya while he was inside the hospital.
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On December 27, Israeli forces raided the hospital once again, destroyed the facility, and forcibly removed Abu Safiya at gunpoint.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has continued its intense military campaign in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 58,500 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave, leading to severe food shortages and widespread disease. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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