… on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Tag: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

  • European Parliament lawmaker nominates Francesca Albanese, Gaza doctors for 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

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

    UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium on November 19, 2025. [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]

    A member of the European Parliament (MEP), Matjaz Nemec, publicly presented on Tuesday the nomination of UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, and Gaza-based doctors for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, following its official submission to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Anadolu reports.

    The nomination was signed by nearly 300 eligible proposers from 33 countries, including Brazil, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, according to a statement shared by Nemec on US social media company X.

    Nemec said the nomination “is an expression of respect for the courage, efforts, and perseverance of individuals who defend fundamental human values in the most difficult circumstances” and “represents a contribution to peace that transcends political divisions.”

    He highlighted Albanese’s work in upholding international law and human rights, noting that she continues her mission despite facing “strong political pressure” and sanctions from Israel and the United States.

    OPINION: Why Barham Salih cannot be like Francesca Albanese

    “Francesca Albanese holds up a mirror to us all and is firmly committed to international law and the foundations we built in response to the greatest massacre in human history – World War II,” he said.

    The nomination also includes Gaza-based doctors, such as Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and Dr. Sara Al-Saqqa, who risk their lives amid armed conflict to carry out medical duties.

    Nemec said: “With the health infrastructure completely destroyed and the acute shortage of basic necessities, they realize the values ​​of humanity, solidarity and peace every day by saving lives and adhering to medical ethics, and they more than deserve this kind of award.”

    The lawmaker emphasized that the global campaign for the nomination calls on the international community and political leaders worldwide to respect international law, human rights, and human dignity under all circumstances.

    Since Oct. 10, the Israeli army has committed hundreds of ceasefire violations, killing at least 391 Palestinians and injuring 1,063 others, according to the latest figures by the Gaza Health Ministry.

    Israel has killed more than 70,600 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,100 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.

    READ: UN special rapporteur denounces ‘Israeli genocide with complicity of states’

    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    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.
    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.

  • Gaza urges world action nearly a year since Israel’s arrest of hospital director

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

    The head of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. [dr.hussam73/Instagram]

    The Gaza Health Ministry on Friday reminded the international community of the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, as the first anniversary of his arrest by Israel approaches, urging action to disclose his fate and secure the release, Anadolu reports.

    Abu Safiya was arrested on Dec. 27, 2024, when Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, detaining him at gunpoint.

    In October, the Amnesty International, citing a lawyer who visited Abu Safiya and other detainees, said he had been subjected to abuse and other forms of ill-treatment.

    “We appeal to the countries of the world to secure the release of Abu Safiya, disclose his fate, and provide him with protection under international law,” the head of Gaza’s Health Ministry, Munir Al-Bursh, said on Telegram.

    Al-Bursh stressed that a doctor should never be a target, and those who abduct doctors are in fact abducting the very spirit of justice.

    READ: Israeli court extends detention of Gaza hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya for 6 months

    He added that Abu Safiya “was not detained for carrying a weapon or harming anyone, but because he practiced his humanitarian profession, carried his stethoscope and compassionate heart, and supported the lives of people when the world abandoned them.”

    Al-Bursh said Abu Safiya was well known in Gaza’s hospitals and operating rooms and stood by the wounded during the Israeli assault before being arrested, barred from seeing his family, and denied the opportunity to continue his medical role that helped save lives.

    Al-Bursh called for Israel to be held accountable for “the crimes of abducting doctors and paramedics and torturing them.”

    He urged international and human rights organizations to act to protect medical teams in the Gaza Strip and secure Abu Safiya’s release.

    Israel has killed more than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023, which have continued despite a ceasefire two months ago.

    READ: Over 57,000 households in Gaza now headed by women face extreme hardship: UN

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

    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.
    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.
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA

  • Protesters gather for Gaza’s doctors’ release

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/protesters-gather-gazas-doctors-release

    Doctors and human rights campaigners demonstrate outside Parliament to demand the release of Palestinian medics detained in Israel, October 21, 2025

    DOCTORS gathered under pouring rain in London to demand the release of a high-profile Gazan paediatrician detained by Israel since last December.

    Dr Hussam Abu Safiya used his social media to share updates on Israeli attacks on Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza before he disappeared during a lethal Israeli raid.

    The 51-year-old hospital director has reportedly been subject to severe beatings and fed just two spoons of rice per day while in custody.

    His detention order was last extended for six months under the widely condemned Unlawful Combatants Law on October 16, dashing hopes he would be among those released under a ceasefire agreement recently announced by US President Donald Trump.

    On Monday, doctors and healthcare professionals gathered on the Albert Embankment, near St Thomas’ Hospital in central London, demanding his release and that of 114 other Palestinian medics held without charge or trial by Israeli authorities.

    They wore scrubs and held large placards saying: “Free Gaza Medics,” “Free Dr Hussam Abu Safiya,” and “Stop Arming Israel.”

    …

    Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/protesters-gather-gazas-doctors-release

    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.
    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.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
    Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

  • As Prisoners and Hostages Released, Advocates Decry Continued Detention of Palestinian Doctor Abu Safiya

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    Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

    A protester holds a placard reading “Free the doctor Abu Safiya” during a protest supporting Palestine on July 29, 2025 in Madrid. (Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    “There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said a top United Nations rights advocate. “Palestinian lives matter.”

    As families on Monday celebrated the return of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 20 living Israeli hostages after the two-year Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 67,000 people and left rubble across Gaza, advocates demanded the return of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was captured nearly a year ago and has reportedly been imprisoned in a detention center known for torturing detainees.

    Middle East Eye reported Monday morning that according to Israeli media reports, Abu Safiya was on a list of Palestinian prisoners who would be released only “if the number of those released is not completed.”

    “The government has approved the creation of a reserve list of five prisoners from Gaza, who will be released if changes are made,” according to Israeli media reports.

    Palestinian writer and poet Mosab Abu Toha noted that “if he and the others are approved, they would replace five other Palestinian hostages who were previously set for release.”

    Abu Safiya was seized by the Israel Defense Forces in December 2024 after the IDF raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, where he was the medical director.

    The IDF claimed without evidence that Kamal Adwan Hospital was a Hamas command center; it was the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza when it was attacked.

    As the exchange of hostages and prisoners neared over the weekend, advocates including healthcare professionals demanded that Abu Safiya be included in the exchange.

    “I am a family doctor and public health practitioner. I have studied the impacts of settler colonialism on health, locally and abroad. I am demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who is being held captive by the Israeli military for fulfilling his duty and calling to protect his patients,” said Dr. Yipeng Ge. “I am calling for protection of hospitals, patients, and health workers in Gaza.”

    Abu Safiya is one of more than 9,600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.

    The prisoners being released on Monday include 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

    At least 154 Palestinian prisoners freed on Monday were forced into exile by Israel and deported to third countries.

    On Saturday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the Trump administration to “demand that Israel release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other kidnapped medical professionals.”

    Francesca Albanese, United Nations rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, suggested that the international acceptance of the continued detention of Abu Safiya and thousands of people in Israeli prisons, many of whom have been held without charges and were detained as minors, “says a lot about [the] peace that lays ahead, for the Palestinians.”

    “There cannot be peace without justice, human rights, and dignity of ALL,” said Albanese. “Palestinian lives matter.”

    The prisoner-hostage exchange is a major part of the first phase of the 20-point peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump, with the next phases yet to be negotiated.

    Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

    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.
    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.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
    Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.

  • Gaza hospital director facing ‘serious deterioration’ in health in Israeli custody: Rights group

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

    Healthcare workers and allies rally in support of Palestinians and to demand the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all Palestinian Healthcare workers in Israeli jails as they gather in New York, United States on January 6, 2025. [Mostafa Bassim – Anadolu Agency]

    An Israeli human rights organization on Thursday warned of a “serious deterioration” in the health of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been in Israeli custody since Dec. 27, 2024, Anadolu reports.

    Physicians for Human Rights said one of its lawyers recently visited Abu Safiya at Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and documented the conditions of his detention.

    According to the group, Abu Safiya has lost nearly 25 kilograms, suffers from scabies without receiving proper treatment, and faces a severe decline in his overall health. He has not appeared before a judge since March, has not been interrogated, and remains unaware of the charges against him.

    The organization said the doctor is subjected to violence, ill-treatment and denial of medical checkups despite a history of heart disease and high blood pressure. His detention conditions reportedly include food shortages, lack of clean clothing, and repeated assaults by prison guards.

    The group noted that more than 100 medical workers from Gaza have been detained since Israel’s war on the enclave began in October 2023, most without formal charges, calling the practice “a blatant violation of international law.”

    Naji Abbas, who heads the group’s prisoners’ department, urged Israel to release Abu Safiya and other detained health workers immediately, calling their detention a “moral and legal crime.” He appealed to the international community to intervene.

    READ: Israel threatens to stop Gaza-bound aid flotilla despite global appeals

    In February, Israeli media aired video footage showing Abu Safiya in custody, shackled hand and foot and appearing visibly exhausted. Days earlier, Israeli authorities had placed him under “unlawful combatant” status, amid reports of torture, abuse and medical neglect.

    At the end of March, an Israeli court extended his detention for six months, according to a statement by the Hamas-run Office for Prisoners’ Affairs.

    Abu Safiya has also suffered personal losses during the war. His son Ibrahim was killed when Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital on Oct. 26, 2024. A month later, he himself was injured in an Israeli strike on the hospital but refused to leave and continued treating patients.

    He was eventually taken into custody on Dec. 27, 2024, when Israeli troops stormed the facility, forced him out at gunpoint and destroyed the hospital, leaving it out of service.

    The Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

    READ: Over 2,500 Palestinians killed while seeking food aid in Gaza: Israeli rights group

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

    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.
    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.
    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Labour Party Foreign Secretary David Lammy repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party's support for and complicity in Israel's genocide of Gaza.
    UK Labour Party Foreign Secretary David Lammy repeatedly heckled at a speech to the Fabian Society over his and the Labour Party’s support for and complicity in Israel’s genocide of Gaza.