Hussam Abu Safia, who documented the abuse of Kamal Adwan, believed he was at the Sde Teiman base known for its “brutality and torture.”
The director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, whose whereabouts remain unclear since he was arrested by Israel after a raid on the facility last week, is reportedly being held at a military base that doubles as a detention center, according to a CNN report.
Hussam Abu Safia, 51, is believed to be detained at the Sde Teiman base in Israel’s Negev desert, according to former Palestinian prisoners cited by the channel, who were released this weekend from the controversial facility known for its abuses extreme towards detainees.
“Two Palestinian prisoners released over the weekend said they saw Abu Safia at the prison, and another former detainee said he heard Abu Safia’s name being read,” said the CNN report, published Monday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Gaza authorities said they lost contact with Abu Safia after Friday’s raid, in which the Israeli army set Kamal Adwan on fire and forcibly expelled dozens of members of the medical staff and patients, thus shutting down the only partially functional system. hospital in northern Gaza.
The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday that it had arrested the director because he was “suspected of being a Hamas terrorist” and the hospital was used as a “command and control center”, without providing evidence to support its claims.
When asked whether Abu Safia had been transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning, the army had no immediate comment.
On Monday, Israeli media released video of the moments before Israeli forces arrested Abu Safia, showing his efforts to bring hundreds of patients and medical staff to safety after the Israeli military issued a warning of 15 minutes to evacuate the hospital.
“Brutality and torture”
On Sunday, the Israeli military said its forces killed around 20 Palestinians and apprehended “240 terrorists” in the raid, calling it one of its “largest operations” in the territory.
Abu Safia had refused several Israeli orders to leave Kamal Adwan after the Israeli army imposed a devastating blockade on the northern Gaza Strip on October 5.
The director general of the Ministry of Health in Gaza said the doctor, who had documented the cruel impact of the Israeli offensive on his hospital, was severely beaten with batons and sticks by Israeli forces during the raid, forced to strip and put on clothing intended for prisoners. .
Abou Safia’s family told CNN: “Sde Teiman is known for his brutality and torture. We can’t imagine what our father is going through in this place and whether he is okay or not, whether he is hot or cold… hungry or in pain. »
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director, called for the release of Abu Safia in a message on X on Monday, saying Gaza’s hospitals had become “battlefields” and the health system was “seriously threatened “.
Tedros said patients in critical condition at Kamal Adwan had been transferred to the Indonesian hospital, “which itself is out of service.”
“Amid the current chaos in northern Gaza, WHO and partners today delivered basic medical and hygiene supplies, food and water to the Indonesian hospital and transferred 10 critical patients at al-Shifa Hospital,” he said.
“We urge Israel to ensure that its health care needs and rights are respected. »
He said seven patients as well as 15 caregivers and health workers remained at the “severely damaged” Indonesian hospital.
