Supreme Court rejects appeal of Gaza hospital chief, a Hamas officer detained by Israel |
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of Gaza hospital chief Hussam Abu Safiya, a Hamas officer, against his ongoing detention, ruling that under the law for unlawful combatants Israel can continue to hold him without charges.
The text of the decision and its reasoning will not be released, as it was based on classified intelligence. The case was heard behind closed doors, and Abu Safiya and his lawyer were not privy to the confidential materials on which the decision was based.
Abu Safiya, who runs Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested by Israeli forces during the war in Gaza in December 2024 and is one of the most prominent Gazan detainees. He is being held in solitary confinement and rights groups have called for his release.
He holds the rank of colonel in the Hamas Military Medical Services, according to the service itself and Palestinian media reports. A photograph from 2016 showing him wearing a Hamas uniform and sitting next to senior members of the terror group emerged after his arrest.
“The rejection of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s appeal and his continued detention without charge represent a profound moral and legal failure,” said Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel, following the rejection of the appeal.
“Rather than upholding the fundamental........