JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥� Israel鈥檚 Supreme Court was weighing whether to extend the detention of a prominent 17 months ago in Gaza and appeared via video conference before the judges to challenge his imprisonment.
By Thursday afternoon, the court had not yet released a decision, said Naji Abbas, director of prisoners and detainees at Physicians for Human Rights 鈥� Israel, a nonprofit group.
Hussam Abu Safiya, who served as in northern Gaza, became of the face of health workers throughout the Israel-Hamas war. He led the facility through releasing videos in which he pleaded for help. Fourteen doctors from Gaza are still being held in Israeli prisons, PHRI said.
In a screen grab from his brief appearance on Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb. His face was pale and gaunt and he had lash-like marks on both arms. Multiple clips circulating on social media from the court showed Israeli officials quickly turning the video off as people jostled to see the doctor.
His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, can be heard in the video telling Abu Safiya that onlookers cannot see him, saying guards turned off the monitor and they are waiting for the judge to enter and decide whether to allow his image back on screen.
鈥淢any people are present to show solidarity and support. The media is also both inside and outside the court,鈥� Odeh said in the video.
Journalists’ footage of the brittle doctor spread on social media, prompting renewed calls for his release. The Israeli military has said Abu Safiya is being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. Medical staff and international aid groups that have worked with Abu Safiya have denied those claims.
According to PHRI, he was recently placed in solitary confinement, a move his son, Elias Abu Safiya, said in a video posted on social media was made shortly after his appeal. Israel has yet to charge Abu Safiya with a crime.
鈥淗ow can a person be punished for seeking to know why he was detained?鈥� the younger Abu Safiya asked.
A son of the doctor was killed earlier in the war
Israel鈥檚 Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The Israeli Prison Service denied claims that the doctor, a trained pediatrician, was being mistreated. In a statement, it said all detainees receive professional medical care and any allegations of abuse or mistreatment made through official channels are examined.
After the hearing Wednesday, Odeh said he had a message from the doctor.
鈥淚 am a pediatrician who provides medical care to patients, the wounded, and the most vulnerable in the Strip,鈥� Odeh said, relaying the doctor鈥檚 words. 鈥淚 carried out my work in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards. My detention is unjust and arbitrary.鈥�
In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, Abu Safiya fought to maintain his composure as Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, releasing grainy video dispatches from the facility under siege. When a drone strike killed Abu Safiya鈥檚 son near the hospital, the doctor spoke with tears in his eyes.
鈥淓verything we have built, they have burned,鈥� he said, his voice cracking. They killed my son. … I buried my son in the hospital yard.鈥�
The war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, after the Gaza-based militant group led an attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. Since then, nearly 73,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the territory鈥檚 Health Ministry, which doesn鈥檛 distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and the United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties.
___
Find more of AP鈥檚 coverage at
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
