Israel extends detention of Gaza doctor after Supreme Court ruling

Israel's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to release Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held without charge since December 2024. The decision means the 52-year-old paediatrician will remain in detention under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law. The case has drawn criticism from human rights campaigners and medics, who say it raises serious legal and humanitarian concerns.

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According to the supplied material, the court relied on confidential materials that were not shared with Dr Abu Safiya or his lawyer, Nasser Odeh. A court spokesperson declined to comment when asked about the appeal. Israel's military has said Dr Abu Safiya was apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities and for holding a rank in Hamas, but no criminal charge has been brought against him.

Dr Abu Safiya was detained in December 2024 while serving as director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. The material says he had led the hospital through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military and had appeared in videos pleading for support and supplies. It also says he was among several doctors who refused to leave newborn infants in the hospital after an Israeli military order to evacuate in 2023.

His detention is described as part of a wider pattern, with at least 14 doctors and dozens of other medical staff from Gaza held in Israel without charge for more than a year. The case matters because it sits at the intersection of Israel's security claims, Gaza's collapsing health system and international scrutiny of detention practices. The Unlawful Combatants Law allows detention without a standard criminal trial, and its use in this case has become a focus for legal and rights groups.

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The decision also comes against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, where medical staff have faced repeated disruption, detention and pressure while trying to keep hospitals functioning. Dr Abu Safiya has become a prominent figure in accounts of the strain on Gaza's health sector. The supplied material says he came to embody the dangers faced by medical workers in the territory, particularly during the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital.

His son was killed in a drone strike near the hospital, according to the report, and that episode has been cited by campaigners as part of the wider human cost of the conflict. Human rights organisations including Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Amnesty International have questioned the evidence behind the allegations against him. What remains unclear is when, or if, Dr Abu Safiya will face any formal charge or further judicial review.

The court has not publicly explained its reasoning beyond the confidential material cited in the case. For now, the key issue is whether the detention will continue without trial and how the case will affect scrutiny of Israel's treatment of Gaza medical staff.

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