Gaza, 16 October 2026 – Earlier this morning, the Bir al-Sabi’ District Court ruled the extension of the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya for an additional six months under the Unlawful Combatant Law. Al Mezan's lawyer, Dr. Abu Safiya's legal counsel, attended the hearing in-person and challenged the lawfulness of his detention, noting the absence of any incriminating evidence and the lack of any formal charges against him. Dr. Abu Safiya joined the hearing via video call from Ofer Prison, where he is currently being held.

Al Mezan's Director, Issam Younis, stated:

"Today's decision to extend Dr. Abu Safiya's detention is completely baseless and further confirms that he is being held as a hostage. He has never been charged, was initially denied access to legal counsel, and has endured inhumane treatment ever since his abduction, including torture and starvation, which has taken a serious toll on his physical wellbeing. Dr. Abu Safiya was not allowed to attend in person, but our lawyer said that he was clearly desperate to be released. When he was given the chance to speak, he repeated that he has done nothing wrong and asked the court why he has been detained in the first place."

Israeli authorities abducted Dr. Abu Safiya on 27 December 2024 when Israeli forces bombarded, attacked, and raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, where he was serving as Director. He was denied access to legal counsel for 47 days. While in Israeli custody, he has been subjected to torture and other forms of inhumane treatment that caused his physical health to drastically decline, including starvation policies.

Al Mezan strongly condemns the prolonged unlawful detention and torture of Dr. Abu Safiya, which constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and international protections afforded to healthcare workers. Dr. Abu Safiya's detention, by its arbitrary nature, is a violation of his fundamental international human rights. He has never been formally charged and continues to be denied the opportunity to defend himself or present his own exculpatory evidence.

Al Mezan reiterates its earlier warning that Israel is using Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention, along with thousands of other Palestinian detainees, as bargaining chips to create political leverage in ongoing ceasefire negotiations. Treating detainees as political leverage in this way constitutes hostage-taking, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

Al Mezan calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, all other arbitrarily detained Palestinians. Al Mezan further calls on the international community to take meaningful action pressuring Israel to end its systematic and widespread use of arbitrary detention against Palestinians, holding them hostage for political leverage and subjecting them to torture, starvation, and other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.