Son of detained Gaza medic says father showed signs of torture

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The son of detained Palestinian pediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya said Thursday that his father showed visible signs of torture and deteriorating health during his latest appearance before an Israeli court.

Elias Abu Safiya told Anadolu that the family was shocked after seeing the Gaza hospital director appear via video link from inside an Israeli prison during a hearing before Israel’s Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

“The family didn’t just see our father’s face after long months of absence,” he said. “We saw pain etched into his features.”

He said signs of torture were visible on the left side of Abu Safiya’s face, while a skin disease appeared to have spread to his hands.

“He looked exhausted by months of suffering,” Elias added.

He said the family had hoped seeing him would reassure them about his condition but were instead confronted with an image reflecting the scale of what he is enduring behind bars.

“What hurts most is seeing a man who dedicated his life to treating the wounded and saving patients in this condition while the world watches in silence,” Elias said.

‘Shock impossible to describe’

Elias said the family saw his condition with overwhelming shock, describing moments of silence inside the house before relatives broke down in tears.

He said the latest appearance deepened fears over his father’s health and raised concerns about what he may be enduring away from cameras.

“If these are the marks visible to the public, how much suffering is still hidden behind prison walls?” he said.

Elias added that the family feels helpless watching Abu Safiya suffer without being able to comfort or protect him.

He described the image not as “just another prisoner photo,” but as “a humanitarian cry” from a pediatrician who spent years serving others and now needs the world to stand beside him.

First appearance in over a year

Earlier Wednesday, Abu Safiya appeared publicly for the first time in over a year during a hearing before Israel’s Supreme Court, where he demanded his immediate release and described his detention as “unjust and arbitrary,” according to his lawyer Nasser Abu Odeh.

Abu Odeh said the court postponed a decision on whether Abu Safiya’s detention would continue for several more hours or days.

Abu Safiya, who served as the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained by Israeli forces on Dec. 27, 2024 after troops stormed the hospital during military operations in northern Gaza.

In previous statements, rights groups and lawyers said that during detention, Abu Safiya has suffered severe weight loss, skin infections and medical neglect.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have also reported that the detained pediatrician was subjected to abuse and mistreatment in Israeli custody.

According to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, around 9,500 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, where detainees face torture, starvation and medical neglect that have led to the deaths of dozens of prisoners.

Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza since October 2023 has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 173,000, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect last October, the Israeli army has since killed 981 Palestinians and injured 3,104 in near-daily attacks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.