As nan Israeli subject continues to artifact entree to a high-profile Palestinian expert they kidnapped past month, aesculapian workers and assistance groups opportunity that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s ongoing detention and nan deficiency of transparency astir it underscores Israel’s larger run of systematically destroying Gaza’s wellness attraction system.
Israeli forces kidnapped Abu Safiya connected Dec. 27 during an onslaught connected Kamal Adwan Hospital. According to nan World Health Organization, it was 1 of dozens of attacks in a monthslong bombardment that has subjected hundreds of patients and wellness attraction workers to forced evacuations, detentions and sometimes decease wrong what was efficaciously nan past functioning infirmary successful walled-off North Gaza.
Nearly 2 weeks aft nan kidnapping, nan Israeli subject has yet to merchandise accusation connected Abu Safiya’s whereabouts and position — and will only opportunity that he is successful custody and is considered a panic “suspect” without providing grounds to support nan claim. Authorities opportunity nan expert is banned from gathering pinch a lawyer until astatine slightest Friday and refused to respond to a ineligible filing by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel challenging that ban.
“We don’t cognize successful which facility, we don’t cognize if he’s safe aliases not. He is not allowed to meet a expert yet,” Naji Abbas, head of PHRI’s prisoners and detainees department, said connected Wednesday. PHRI has been fighting connected behalf of Palestinians nan group says are facing quality authorities violations successful Israeli custody, and took connected Abu Safiya’s ineligible case.
“We don’t cognize what he’s being charged [with]. We presume that they don’t person thing against him,” Abbas continued. “Because from nan 26 testimonies that we collected from [detained] wellness attraction workers, astir of them were told straight that they are not accused aliases charged pinch anything, but they will enactment successful detention. That’s illegal. That’s forbidden detention, it’s an forbidden arrest.”
Recently released prisoners person told nan pediatrician’s loved ones and caseworkers that he is being held astatine alleged torture camp Sde Teiman, nan alleged “Israeli Guantanamo” wherever detained Palestinians — including wellness attraction workers — look inhumane curen and surviving conditions. Israeli authorities would not confirm that Abu Safiya is being held astatine Sde Teiman, though released prisoners described nan expert showing signs of torture.
On Tuesday, Abu Safiya’s family announced that nan doctor’s mother had died of a bosom attack conscionable months aft an Israeli onslaught had killed his 19-year-old son, Ibrahim. Safiya’s mother had nary anterior cardiac issues aliases aesculapian conditions, according to Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of aesculapian assistance group MedGlobal. Abu Safiya serves arsenic nan organization’s lead expert successful Gaza.
“I said pinch her grandson ... and he told maine she was crying past nighttime and she felt that her boy is successful distress – and she went to sleep, and she did not aftermath up,” Sahloul said connected Wednesday, adding that she “died retired of daze and sadness for what happened to her son.” Abu Safiya does not yet cognize astir his mother, he said.
The doctor’s detention has made world headlines owed to his predominant audio and video messages online documenting Israel’s bombing campaign astatine Kamal Adwan Hospital. But his imprisonment is hardly an anomaly successful nan territory, wherever Israel successful nan past twelvemonth has killed more than 1,000 aesculapian professionals and detained astir 230 — more than 70 of whom person already died successful prison, according to PHRI and nan Ministry of Health.
Despite it being an world quality authorities usurpation to target wellness attraction workers, Israel legally does not admit detained Palestinians arsenic prisoners of war — only “unlawful combatants,” says PHRI. Abbas cited a lawsuit wherever Israeli authorities detained a female successful her 80s pinch Alzheimer’s for 2 months and prevented her entree to a lawyer because she was allegedly an “unlawful combatant.”
The targeting of aesculapian workers mixed pinch Israel’s bombing of hospitals and blocking of humanitarian assistance has led to the systematic demolition of Gaza’s wellness attraction system – starring injured and sick Palestinians to spell without basal curen and go infected, creating “untold morbidities and suffering and decease that are not counted arsenic victims of war,” Sahloul said.
“Put yourself successful nan shoes of a diligent successful nan United States who gets injured, say, successful a car accident,” said Dr. Syed Sayeed, who returned past week from a aesculapian ngo successful Gaza. “An ambulance picks them up, they recreation connected a road, they get to nan hospital, they’re triaged by nan due physicians, they’re operated connected successful an due situation, they person capable nutrition and anti-sepsis measures truthful they heal, and past they person a rehabilitation shape wherever they reintegrate into society. Maybe they get their employment back.”
“Every 1 of these steps is wholly and utterly destroyed passim Gaza,” he continued. “So wellness attraction involves not conscionable nan building and nan physicians, but it’s a complete and utter demolition of nan determinants of health.”
We Need Your Support
Other news outlets person retreated down paywalls. At HuffPost, we judge publicity should beryllium free for everyone.
Would you thief america supply basal accusation to our readers during this captious time? We can't do it without you.
Can't spend to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log successful while you read.
You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll beryllium honorable — we could usage your thief again. We position our ngo to supply free, adjacent news arsenic critically important successful this important moment, and we can't do it without you.
Whether you springiness erstwhile aliases galore much times, we admit your publication to keeping our publicity free for all.
You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll beryllium honorable — we could usage your thief again. We position our ngo to supply free, adjacent news arsenic critically important successful this important moment, and we can't do it without you.
Whether you springiness conscionable 1 much clip aliases motion up again to lend regularly, we admit you playing a portion successful keeping our publicity free for all.
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log successful to hide these messages.
Abu Safiya’s loved ones and caseworkers person asked nan world organization and aesculapian professionals astir nan world to not only request nan doctor’s merchandise but to besides speak retired against Israel’s campaign to destruct Gaza’s wellness attraction system. Medical workers across nan globe have been staging protests since his arrest, and doctors successful nan West who volunteered successful Gaza plan to speak connected Friday about nan plight of Palestinian wellness attraction workers for illustration Abu Safiya.
Israel’s aesculapian community, however, has been mostly silent connected Gaza’s wellness attraction crisis. While immoderate Israeli physicians person antecedently described to HuffPost a benignant of fear-based codification of silence among nan aesculapian community, others either don’t cognize aliases simply don’t care. Workers successful immoderate cases will outright promote nan violence, Abbas said – recounting instances of doctors demanding nan Israeli service ambush Al-Shifa Hospital, of a expert bragging astir withholding painkillers from a wounded Palestinian patient, and of Health Minister Uriel Busso blocking Israel’s civilian hospitals from treating patients from Gaza.
Abu Safiya “told maine 1 clip that he will supply nan aforesaid attraction to an injured Israeli soldier, akin to a Palestinian kid who ended up successful his hospital,” Sahloul told HuffPost conscionable days aft nan pediatrician’s arrest. “He is nan principle of being a expert and humanitarian, and he deserves to person nan Nobel Peace Prize. Not to beryllium detained and injured.”