All those governments and individuals that support Israel e.g. Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch, also support this abhorrent treatment – imprisonment, very likely medical neglect, starvation and torture – of a doctor. Dr. Hassam Abu Safia.
Article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
Israeli authorities are reportedly pursuing another six-month extension to the imprisonment of Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, taken by Israeli occupation forces from Kamal Adwan Hospital over two years ago, ahead of a hearing announced for Tuesday, April 28. Dr. Abu Safiya has been held in administrative detention – a status that allows Israeli authorities to imprison Palestinians for an undefined amount of time without charge or trial – ever since he was taken captive in December 2024.
Over the past months, family members, health workers, and UN experts have raised the alarm over Dr. Abu Safiya’s condition, warning of torture and deteriorating health. “Dr. Abu Safiya’s lawyer has not been allowed to meet him for more than two months, ever since his transfer to Ketziot Prison and despite reports of violence, significant weight loss and medical neglect,” Physicians for Human Rights Israel recently wrote.
Ahead of the hearing date, the pediatrician’s family appealed again for the international community to mobilize and secure Dr. Abu Safiya’s release. “We cannot understand how a man who saves children can be tortured and imprisoned in a place where children are killed,” his son, Ilyas Abu Safiya said. “We cannot understand how a doctor who dedicated his life to protecting and healing them, can be locked away in a place known for injustice, violence and the death of children.”
“The fear for my father’s fate grows inside us every day,” Ilyas Abu Safiya stated, adding that the feeling is shared by families of all Palestinian political prisoners. The fears have only grown worse, various sources document, since the Israeli Knesset adopted death penalty legislation that foresees death by hanging for Palestinians.
According to information published by Healthcare Workers Watch on April 17, Dr. Abu Safiya is among 83 health workers confirmed to be still imprisoned by Israel. The network documented nearly 446 cases of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other health workers being seized by the occupation since October 7, 2023, of which 323 have apparently been released. Healthcare Workers Watch noted that of the health workers still held, 75 were from Gaza: including 27 senior, 41 mid-level, and 7 junior staff. Sixty among these health workers were kidnapped from inside health facilities.
On average, each of the Gazan health workers “has so far spent 670 days in detention,” Healthcare Workers Watch wrote, with some held for over 880 days. “The currently detained healthcare workers have spent collectively over 152 years in Israeli detention,” the network emphasized.
People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by the People’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and to subscribe to People’s Health Dispatch, click here.
Article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
More than 1,000 people, including Irish author Sally Rooney and climate activist Greta Thunberg, have signed a letter in defiance of the ban on Palestine Action, to be delivered to the Court of Appeal as the government attempts to uphold its controversial proscription of the direct action group.
The letter simply states: “We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action.” It is expected to be hand-delivered to the court on Tuesday 28 April, when the government delivers its arguments appealing against the landmark high court ruling that found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful in February.
The letter is the first time that acclaimed writers, scholars and creatives have come together to defy the ban. Signatories include distinguished professor Judith Butler, musician Brian Eno, Israeli professors Ilan Pappé and Avi Shlaim, author and anti-apartheid campaigner Andrew Feinstein, and Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja.
Also adding their names are hundreds of members of the public from all walks of life, including trade union officials, retired prison officers, nurses, architects, teachers, carers and members of the clergy. All signatories risk arrest under UK terror law.
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The ban on Palestine Action – a direct action group which aims to end global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – remains in force until the government’s appeal is complete, despite it being ruled unlawful. This means anyone showing support for the group can still be punished by up to 14 years in prison under counter-terror legislation.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries (DOJ), which has coordinated high-profile demonstrations across the country to protest the ban, told Novara Media: “It takes something out of the ordinary for so many eminent professors, including professors of law, to risk arrest under the Terrorism Act. But when you brand as terrorists your political opponents, who are obviously not terrorists, a red line towards authoritarianism has been crossed.
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See the original article at https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/27/sally-rooney-greta-thunberg-and-1000-more-sign-letter-in-defiance-of-palestine-action-ban/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/28/sadiq-khan-moves-to-block-met-police-deal-with-palantir/
Sadiq Khan could block the Metropolitan Police from signing a huge AI contract with tech giant Palantir, citing concerns about spending public money on “firms who act contrary to London’s values”.
Palantir, which provides software to ICE and the Israeli military, showcased its systems to Scotland Yard intelligence officers last month, hoping to land a contract worth tens of millions of pounds, the Guardian reported.
While the Met has its own procurement team, the London mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime must sign off any contract worth over £500,000, giving Khan some leverage over the deal.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: “We can’t comment on live procurement processes. However, as a general point the mayor would have concerns about using public money to support firms who act contrary to London’s values.”
Palantir, which was founded by US billionaire Peter Thiel, currently holds more than £600m of contracts with public bodies in the UK. Those include a £240m deal with the Ministry of Defence, a £330m contract with the NHS, and agreements with various city councils and local police forces.
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Article continues at https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/28/sadiq-khan-moves-to-block-met-police-deal-with-palantir/
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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday threatened Lebanon with “fire that will burn the entire country,” two days after Prime Minister ordered military escalation against Beirut, Anadolu reports.
“(Hezbollah chief) Naim Qassem is playing with fire, and the fire will burn Hezbollah and all of Lebanon,” Katz said during a meeting with UN envoy to Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, as cited in a statement issued by his office.
The Israeli minister claimed that the Lebanese government “continues to take cover” under the Hezbollah wing.
“Fire will break out and engulf the cedars of Lebanon,” Katz warned.
He alleged that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was “gambling with the future of Lebanon”, adding that Israel would not accept a situation in which a ceasefire in Lebanon coexists with continued attacks on Israeli forces and northern Israel.
The defense minister said he and Netanyahu have instructed the Israeli army “to respond with overwhelming fire against Hezbollah in the event of any damage, threat, or violation of Israeli sovereignty.”
READ: UN reports ‘one of highest volumes’ of Israeli firing incidents south of Blue Line in Lebanon
Aoun said early Monday that the ceasefire with Israel represents “a first and necessary step” for any subsequent negotiations with Tel Aviv. He said this position has already been conveyed to the US, which is leading mediation efforts between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
On Saturday, Netanyahu ordered the army to escalate its attacks against Lebanon in response to Hezbollah attacks.
More than 2,500 people have been killed, over 7,750 injured and over 1.6 million displaced by Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese official figures.
A 10-day ceasefire was declared between Lebanon and Israel on April 17, though Tel Aviv repeatedly violated it.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend the truce by three weeks following a second round of talks between the two sides in Washington.
Hezbollah has carried out a series of drone attacks targeting Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, citing Israel’s repeated violations of the truce.
READ: Iran demands end to Lebanon fighting as condition to continue negotiations
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