Israeli activists demonstrated on Friday to demand the release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who was arrested by their country’s army in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago and continues to be forcibly disappeared.
According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, the demonstration occurred in front of the notorious Sde Teiman detention camp in the south, organised by the Standing Together movement, consisting of Israeli activists who support peace, equality and social justice.
On 27 December, the Israeli army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, setting it on fire and rendering it out of service. It arrested more than 350 people inside, including the hospital director, Abu Safiya.
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At first, the Israeli army denied arresting Abu Safiya but later admitted to doing so; however, it continues to withhold any information about his place of detention, putting him in a state of forced disappearance.
Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations believe that the Israeli authorities are holding Abu Safiya in the Sde Teiman detention camp.
Sde Teiman is located inside a military base in the Negev desert and was established by the Israeli army immediately after launching the genocidal war on Gaza on 7 October, 2023. Many of those arrested in the Strip were transferred there, including children, youth and the elderly.
Human rights and media reports state that Israeli soldiers committed horrific human rights violations against detainees in this detention centre, subjecting them to various forms of torture and humiliation.
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Israel extends detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya amid ongoing attacks on health in Palestine
