Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was arbitrarily detained more than 450 days ago after Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, then the last functioning major hospital in North Gaza, along with other medical staff and patients.
UN Special Rapporteurs are now urgently calling for his release, warning that he has been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture in Israeli detention, that his health is being ‘eroded’ and his condition ‘remains dire’.
We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release, but we can’t do it alone. The Australian Government must use its diplomatic voice and influence.
For months, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya had been one of the most prominent voices documenting Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, while continuing to care for patients under siege and genocide.
He continued his work even after one of his sons was killed in October 2024.
His case reflects a wider pattern of abuse against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including documented torture, the denial of fair trials and the deprivation of basic human rights.
This is not an isolated incident, but the systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers and the decimation of Gaza’s healthcare system.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya should never have been detained for carrying out his medical duties, yet he remains held without trial or charge like thousands of Palestinians in administrative detention.
Email Foreign Minister Penny Wong and call on Australia to act now.
Together, our words have power.
We must continue to advocate until Dr Abu Safiya and all healthcare workers arbitrarily detained are released. Healthcare workers are not, and should never be, a target. Please take action to free Dr Hussam Abu Safiya today.
Justice for Palestinians cannot wait.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
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