genocide

Israel’s Brutal Retaliation Against Imprisoned Palestinian Doctors Seeking Legal Appeals

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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/doctor-hussam-abu-safiya-prison-abuse-medical-gaza

A Palestinian man walks past a portrait of imprisoned Kamal Adwan Hospital Director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, painted by Palestinian artist Abu Karsheli on the rubble of the Italian Tower, which was destroyed in Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on June 27, 2026. Photo by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-Arini/Anadolu via Getty Images.

The escalated abuse against Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya following a legal challenge to his detention has sent a chilling message to the families of detained medical workers in Gaza.

Ismail Nofal Aug 08, 2026

GAZA CITY—Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the former director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, suffered multiple injuries, including fractured ribs, after enduring severe beatings by Israeli prison authorities on July 27, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office. The group described it as the “most difficult day” of his imprisonment since being detained without charge over a year and a half ago.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the office said Abu Safiya, who suffers from heart disease and high blood pressure, has been subjected to “brutal torture” since June 24, when he was transferred to Rakevet—an underground detention facility within the Ramla prison complex in central Israel—including spending 21 days in solitary confinement.

Previously, Abu Safiya told his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, during a prison visit on July 2, that following an appeal filed with the Israeli Supreme Court at the end of April, the assaults and abuse against him escalated dramatically. Abu Safiya told Odeh that after a court hearing in June, where he appeared via a video link looking gaunt, several prison guards entered his cell and beat him with batons and a hammer.

Abu Safiya’s son, Elias, 27, told Drop Site News that Odeh found his father in extremely critical condition during the July 2 visit—unable to breathe normally and speaking with great difficulty, with marks of beatings and torture visible on his face and body.

According to Elias, Abu Safiya told Odeh that this might be the last time he would see him. For the family, it felt like “a farewell message from a human being who feels his life is nearing its end,” said Elias. “Since that moment, we have been living every day in genuine fear of receiving the news of his martyrdom at any moment.”

The apparent repercussions against Abu Safiya in prison following the legal challenge to his detention and similar cases involving detained medical workers have sent a chilling message to the families of Palestinian detainees—particularly doctors—that seeking justice, either through legal means or public campaigns, can have severe consequences.

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Gaza health chief urges action to ‘save’ Dr Abu Safia before it’s too late

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/8/gaza-health-chief-urges-action-to-save-dr-abu-safia-before-its-too-late

People lift placards bearing portraits of Palestinians detained by Israel, including Hussam Abu Safia, during a protest in solidarity with them in Ramallah, occupied West Bank [File: Zain Jaafar/AFP]

Fears mount for life of Hussam Abu Safia detained by Israel amid reports of torture and lack of medical care.

The director general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health has called for urgent action to “save” the life of detained Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia before it is “too late”.

The paediatrician has been held by Israel since 2024 and “serious concerns are mounting” over his life and health, Dr Muneer al-Boursh posted on X on Saturday.

He noted reports that Abu Safia has been assaulted while in an Israeli detention facility and has sustained injuries to his eye, head and chest.

Abu Safia’s ongoing detention and lack of medical care have made his health condition a “source of extreme alarm that demands urgent action not postponed statements,” al-Boursh added.

Abu Safia was the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who led the facility, one of the last functioning in northern Gaza, through an 85-day siege before Israeli forces raided it and detained him on December 27, 2024.

He has been held without charge under Israel’s unlawful combatant law, which permits indefinitely renewable detention; Israel’s supreme court rejected an appeal for his release in June. His lawyer, who visited him last month, reported new signs of beatings and torture. Rights groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, have warned that his life is in imminent danger.d

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/8/gaza-health-chief-urges-action-to-save-dr-abu-safia-before-its-too-late

Continue ReadingIsrael’s Brutal Retaliation Against Imprisoned Palestinian Doctors Seeking Legal Appeals

Pro-Palestinian protesters march through Berlin

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Police take security measures as protesters gather and march through the streets during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin, Germany, on August 08, 2026. [Volodymyr Sindieiev – Anadolu Agency]

Demonstrators in Berlin staged a protest in support of Palestine on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

Protesters carried banners and Palestinian flags as they marched through the city and chanted slogans to express solidarity with Palestine.

Since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli army and occupiers have intensified attacks across the occupied West Bank, killing at least 1,182 Palestinians, injuring around 13,000 and arresting nearly 25,000, according to official Palestinian figures.

READ: German activists vow to intensify campaign against Volkswagen’s potential deal with Israeli defense firm

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UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingPro-Palestinian protesters march through Berlin

Burnham re-appoints former Israeli Supreme Court clerk as justice minister

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https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/

Back in March, the Labour government’s bill to restrict access to jury trials – a right enjoyed by English citizens for over 800 years – successfully passed its first reading. But last week, only hours after former Justice Minister David Lammy was dropped from Andy Burnham’s new cabinet, a Downing Street spokesperson announced that the newly coronated Prime Minister had no intention of following through with the plan.

Eyebrows were raised, however, at the ministerial re-appointment of Sarah Sackman, Keir Starmer’s ex-solicitor general and a key supporter of Lammy’s jury proposals. Sackman has previously worked as a foreign law clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court, and her grandfather once served as an ambassador for the settler state. Last week, Burnham extended her role in government with a re-appointment at the Ministry of Justice.

Sackman’s funders

At the end of June, and just eleven days after Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield, Sackman registered two new donations, each of £1250, from veteran pro-Israeli bankroller Trevor Chinn.

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Burnham continues Starmer’s legacy

Starmer will always be remembered for the military and diplomatic support he consistently lent to the Israeli state. But in December 2024, just over one year into the Gaza genocide, Sackman insisted that Starmer’s administration had “broadly got it right” on the issue of Palestine.

She made the comments in a public conversation with Adrian Cohen, LFI’s lay chair. Last Thursday, the controversial lobby group published a new paper suggesting that a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements is “practically and politically impossible”.

LFI-affiliated MPs continue to dominate the Labour cabinet. On the issue of Palestine, Sackman’s re-appointment sends a loud signal to those who thought Burnham might change course.

Featured image via Facebook

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/08/03/burnham-sackman-justice-minister/

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel's genocide.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
Continue ReadingBurnham re-appoints former Israeli Supreme Court clerk as justice minister

Egypt presses Israel to reopen Rafah crossing for goods: Report

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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on October 15, 2025, after Israel said it would allow the crossing to reopen for humanitarian aid to enter from Egypt into the Palestinian territory. [STR/AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt is pressing for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza to allow goods into the enclave, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

“By contrast, Israel insists on limiting the entry of goods to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is under its control,” the broadcaster said.

Israel’s security establishment and political leadership have informed the US and Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative of the Peace Council, of their unified position “not to allow the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip except through the Kerem Shalom crossing,” the broadcaster said, citing an unnamed Israeli source.

On Feb. 2, Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which it has occupied since May 2024, on a limited basis and under tight restrictions.

Following a closure of nearly 20 days after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, Israel reopened the crossing on March 19 under the previous operating mechanism and with strict restrictions.

READ: Hamas threatens withdrawal from Gaza understandings amid continued Israeli air strikes

The crossing currently operates on a limited basis for pedestrians only. Dozens of patients, wounded Palestinians and other humanitarian cases are intermittently allowed to leave under tight Israeli monitoring and restrictions.

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are still awaiting permission to travel for medical treatment.

Egypt had not officially commented on the Israeli broadcaster’s report as of 0930GMT.

Before Israel’s genocide in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians traveled daily through Rafah to Egypt, while hundreds of others returned to the enclave. The crossing was operated by Gaza’s Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities without Israeli intervention.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, around 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 injured, while nearly 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.

READ: Egyptian foreign minister, Board of Peace envoy discuss next phase of Gaza ceasefire

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Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingEgypt presses Israel to reopen Rafah crossing for goods: Report

UK’s Burnham faces pro-Palestinian backlash over chief of staff appointment

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Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers his first speech outside 10 Downing Street in central London after being invited by King Charles III to form a new government. [Marcin Nowak – Anadolu Agency]

Less than a month into office, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing backlash over several Cabinet appointments, with pro-Palestinian activists urging his government to impose sanctions on Israel.

Among the appointments that have drawn criticism is James Purnell, whom Burnham selected as his new chief of staff. His role as chair of the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group from 2002 to 2004 has sparked anger.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Councillor Jonathan Purcell, a deputy leader of Greens in Tower Hamlet Council, said it’s “absolutely clear” where Burnham’s priorities lie.

“James Purnell is the former Labor Friends of Israel chair. If that isn’t a demonstration of where he stands on this issue, then I don’t know what is,” he said.

He urged Burnham to stop selling arms to Israel, “including the supply of arms sales to Israel.”

He must also immediately sanction ministers and remove the opacity around the spy flights taking off from RAF Akrotiri, a British air base in the Greek Cypriot Administration, over Gaza, he said.

Kerie Anne, branch secretary of Tower Hamlet Unison, the largest trade union in the UK, said she expects a “strong stand” on Israel from this government.

“Give Israel a really hard time boycotting divestment and sanctions because of its genocidal activity,” she added.

The British government has been “far too soft” on Israel, and it’s just “unacceptable,” she said.

For Anne, the UK needs to institute a serious boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) regime on Israel.

“We are championing BDS, but we need our government to lead it at a national level,” she noted.

READ: UK charity regulator opens inquiry into funding of illegal Israeli settlements

‘Bitterly disappointing’

John McLoughlin, a local British pensioner, criticized the ongoing financial ties with Israel, saying it is “bitterly disappointing.”

“I’m now a pensioner, I am receiving pension from the pension funds. I don’t believe that our pension fund should be invested in companies committing genocide,” he added.

He claimed that the UK needs a change in policy about Palestine, and expressed that he is also “very concerned” that Burnham, like the previous prime minister, is talking about increased spending on arms, and that includes armaments that go to Israel.

“They should stop supplying arms. They should stop investing and involving companies like Palantir here in UK public services,” said McLoughlin.

The chief of staff appointment was also criticized over Purnell’s lobbying links as he was former chief executive of Flint Global, a registered lobbyist.

Eighteen months ago, Purcell said the London’s Tower Hamlet council passed a motion to divest from arms companies complicit in the genocide.

“The reason why that is so important is because there are workers in this council who have made it absolutely clear that they do not want to be complicit in Israel’s genocide or its illegal occupation of Palestine,” he added.

WATCH: Gaza Ceasefire Falters as Trump Remains Trapped in Israel-First Agenda | Palestine This Week

What has Burnham said so far?

Last month, roughly 10 days before assuming his role as the country’s 59th prime minister, Burnham apologized for the Labour Party’s stance on Gaza.

He said the party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership.

“Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that.”

In an interview with Guardian, he noted that he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, including through further sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as a potential ban on the trade of goods with illegal settlements.

He also called what is happening in Gaza “unbearable suffering” saying it is a “scar on our collective conscience.”

He also commented on continued and illegal occupier violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, stressing that the UK is exploring measures against Israeli settlements.

“There are potential measures that I’m looking at in terms of the settlements in the West Bank, and those will be looked at an announced in due course,” Burnham told TLDR news on Saturday.

READ: Over 600 Palestinians detained by Israel in West Bank raids last month: Advocacy group

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dizzy: I am actively monitoring Andy Burnham & Co (and much more besides actually). It appears that there is a spin machine operating that makes unfounded claims which are contradicted by actions. Basically, you can’t have any faith in anything that’s claimed from number 10.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingUK’s Burnham faces pro-Palestinian backlash over chief of staff appointment