WRITE A MESSAGE
Gen.
Yifat
Tomer-Yerushalmi
Israel Military
Brig. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, I am writing to you to demand the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a paediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the occupied Gaza Strip, who was arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024, along with other hospital staff and patients, following a deadly raid on the hospital, which put it out of service. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, 51, has for months acted as one of the most prominent voices of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector, providing comprehensive and reliable information about the healthcare situation in the North Gaza governorate, particularly since Israeli forces laid a near-total siege to the area since 6 October 2024. He continued to bear witness and treat children despite the killing of his son in October 2024. Testimonies collected by Amnesty International and other human rights groups reveal a dreadful reality inside Israeli prisons and detention centres, where Palestinian detainees, including health workers, face systematic torture and other ill-treatment and are denied their right to a fair trial and due process, along with access to adequate food and medical care. In light of this, and the ongoing failure of Israeli authorities to grant independent monitors access to detention centres, we are extremely concerned for the life and wellbeing of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. Multiple sources reported that Dr. Hussam and other Palestinian detainees have been subjected to abuse and other ill-treatment. It also was reported that he has been denied access to healthcare and that he lost a lot of weight due to poor detention conditions and depriving him from food and nutrition. Dr. Hussam’s ongoing detention and ill-treatment bring forward serious violations of international law. Therefore, I urge you to secure the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other Palestinians, including health workers, forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained by Israel. Pending Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s release, I urge you to ensure his protection from all forms of torture and other ill-treatment, including coercion. Also pending his release, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya must be granted access to adequate medical care while in detention. Kind regards, An Amnesty International South Africa Supporter
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