UN rights body demands release of detained Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia

A United Nations human rights working group has called for the immediate release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia, saying he is in imminent danger while held in Israeli detention. The panel said his detention is arbitrary and that Israel violated multiple provisions of international human rights law in his case. Abu Safia's family and lawyer say his life is at risk and that he has shown signs of torture.

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The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said the appropriate remedy would be to release him immediately and provide compensation and other reparations under international law. It said the case may indicate a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country. The group did not give a public timetable for any action, but its finding adds formal international scrutiny to a case that has already drawn concern from rights advocates.

Abu Safia was the director of Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza when Israeli authorities detained him in December 2024, along with other medical staff and patients. He has been held without charge since then, according to the information provided in the case. His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, has warned that his health is in grave danger after what he described as daily abuse, while rights groups and family members say he shows signs of repeated torture.

The case has significance beyond one detainee because it touches on the treatment of medical workers during the Gaza conflict and on the use of detention without charge. Abu Safia had been a prominent voice describing the collapse of Gaza's healthcare system and continued working despite the death of one of his sons in an Israeli drone strike. His detention has therefore become part of a wider debate over the protection of health workers and the legal standards applied in wartime detention.

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The Israel Prison Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the UN finding. It has previously rejected allegations that Abu Safia and other doctors were mistreated in prison. The Israeli Supreme Court has also previously declined to comment on appeals for his release, leaving the case unresolved at the judicial and administrative levels.

What happens next is unclear, including whether Israeli authorities will respond to the UN panel's call or whether further legal or diplomatic pressure will follow. The working group's finding does not itself compel a release, but it increases international attention on the case and on broader detention practices. For now, Abu Safia remains in custody without charge, and his family and lawyer say his condition is worsening.

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