GAZA CITY, Palestine

A Palestinian rights group on Friday said the Israeli army arrested Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, under Israel's "unlawful combatant" law—despite his status as a civilian doctor.

He was arrested from his workplace in December last year.

According to a statement by the Palestinian Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, the head of the Israeli army's Southern Command, Yaron Finkelman, issued an order on Feb. 12 to detain Abu Safiya, 52, under the unlawful combatant law “instead of conducting a standard legal trial.”

The NGO said its lawyer visited Abu Safiya at Ofer Prison on Feb. 11 and documented evidence that he had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

Al-Mezan explained that the unlawful combatant law "seriously undermines the right to a fair trial by denying detainees the right to be informed of the charges against them and preventing them from challenging the evidence, effectively stripping them of their ability to defend themselves."

The rights group condemned the decision as "arbitrary, illegal, and retaliatory," stressing that it also demonstrates the Israeli prosecution’s failure to substantiate its accusations against Abu Safiya.

It urged the international community and UN bodies to take action for Abu Safiya’s immediate release along with other detained medical and humanitarian personnel.

On Tuesday, Abu Safiya’s family revealed that he was subjected to severe torture and starvation in Israeli detention following a lawyer's visit.

On Dec. 27, 2024, the Israeli army arrested Abu Safiya in northern Gaza from his workplace.

After several raids on the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which Dr. Hussam resisted Israeli pressure to evacuate, the Israeli army set fire to and damaged most sections of the facility, rendering it non-operational.

Several rights groups worldwide, including the UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians and the US-based Doctors Against Genocide, have demanded “urgent action” to protect healthcare workers in Gaza and the immediate release of Abu Safiya and other medical staff.

The death toll from Israel’s genocidal onslaught since October 2023 has risen to 48,239, according to the latest Palestinian Health Ministry update on Thursday.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar