The director of one of the last partially functioning hospitals in northern Gaza was arrested as the Israeli army raided the facility and expelled dozens of doctors and patients.
Concerns are growing over the safety of the director of one of the last partially functioning hospitals in northern Gaza following his arrest by the Israeli army.
Hussam Abu Safia, 51, was arrested by Israeli forces on Friday during their raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. It is not known where he was taken.
The World Health Organization said it lost contact with Abu Safia after the raid, which also saw the Israeli army eliminate dozens of medical staff and patients.
The director general of Gaza’s health ministry, Munir al-Barsh, said Abu Safia was severely beaten with batons and sticks by Israeli forces, who forced him to strip and put on clothes. clothing for prisoners.
This was the second time in as many months that Abu Safia was arrested by Israeli forces as they carried out their genocide in Gaza.
Here’s what you need to know about him:
Abu Safia, a pediatrician by training, is a prominent figure in Gaza’s health system. He holds a master’s degree and Palestinian board certification in pediatrics and neonatology.
Also known by his nickname Abu Elias, Abu Safia was born on November 21, 1973 in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. His family was displaced in 1948 from the Palestinian town of Hamama in the Ashkelon district.
Abu Safia refused several Israeli orders to leave Kamal Adwan Hospital after the Israeli army imposed a devastating blockade on the northern Gaza Strip on October 5. The siege saw Israel cut off food and water supplies to Palestinians in the area while launching airstrikes and bombings, killing hundreds of civilians.
The siege also had a devastating impact on area hospitals. Abu Safia was briefly arrested and then released when Israeli forces stormed the facility in late October and arrested 44 of its staff, leaving him and a handful of medical professionals to treat dozens of injured people.
During the same operation, Israeli forces killed Abu Safia’s son Ibrahim in a drone strike at the hospital entrance. The doctor led funeral prayers for his son in the hospital courtyard and accused the Israeli army of killing his son to punish him for refusing to leave the hospital.
Despite the siege, the medical team, consisting of a few doctors like Abu Safia and a small group of nurses, remained at the hospital, refusing repeated orders from the Israeli army to leave.
While remaining in hospital, Abu Safia kept the world informed of Israel’s near-daily attacks, releasing video statements and advocating for international intervention to end the attacks.
He was injured by shrapnel during an Israeli drone attack on the hospital on November 23 as he was leaving the operating room. He suffered six shrapnel wounds to his thigh, which caused ruptures in his veins and arteries. But he pleaded for him to continue his work.
“This won’t stop us,” he said. “I was injured in the workplace and it’s an honor. My blood is no more precious than that of my colleagues or the people we serve. I will return to my patients as soon as I recover.
