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Former Palestinian detainees have shared harrowing testimonies about the condition of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held for more than 450 days in Israeli prisons after being abducted during the genocide in Gaza. According to the testimonies, he has been subjected to severe abuse and medical neglect with one saying Israeli guards stripped him naked and unleashed police dogs on him.
According to testimonies reported Thursday by the Asra Media Office, former Palestinian detainees described the harrowing and brutal conditions faced by Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya inside Israeli prisons.
Former detainee Hamza Abu Amira said the Palestinian doctor was subjected to “exceptionally harsh treatment,” including continuous humiliation and severe physical and verbal torture by specialized Israeli prison units. He said guards forced him, under extreme pain, to repeat degrading phrases intended to strip him of his human dignity.
Another released detainee, Rami Abu Amira, described what he called one of the most disturbing scenes he witnessed, saying interrogators “stripped Dr. Hussam completely naked and unleashed police dogs on his frail body,” leaving deep wounds and scratches across him.
He added that the doctor often returned from interrogation sessions “physically shattered and barely conscious,” reflecting the scale of suffering he endured inside the prison.
The testimonies of former detainees extended beyond the physical torture, pointing to what they described as a systematic attempt to destroy the Palestinian doctor “psychologically and morally” as Abu Safiya was widely known for his resilience and humanitarian work.
Former detainee Ahmad Qaddas said “the prison cells echoed with the doctor’s screams under severe beatings,” adding that other detainees were prohibited from approaching his cell or even asking about his health condition.
He said the abuse inflicted on Abu Safiya “was not merely physical torture, but an attempt to crush his humanity, identity, and dignity.”
According to the detainees’ testimonies, Abu Safiya’s health has sharply deteriorated. They said he suffers from persistent vomiting and an inability to keep food down, while being denied adequate medical treatment.
Former prisoners also said that Israeli prison forces repeatedly raided his sleeping area and threw sound grenades and gas canisters near him despite his critical condition, worsening his daily suffering according to the Quds News Network.
The testimonies further describe prolonged shackling of his hands and feet, deprivation of food and basic sanitation, and being forced to insult himself and repeat humiliating phrases in what detainees described as an effort to break his spirit.
Last month, an Israeli court extended the detention of Abu Safiya, amid reports that he has been subjected to severe torture and other forms of abuse. According to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), the court extended his administrative detention for an indefinite period.
In a statement in March, UN special rapporteurs Tlaleng Mofokeng and Ben Saul said they had received reports that Abu Safiya’s health condition “remains dire”.
“He has been systematically denied critical medical examination and treatment, and deprived of essential care to such an extent that his life, health, and wellbeing have been gravely endangered,” they said.
Abu Safiya, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 amid Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
He was arrested after refusing to leave the hospital, which was the last functioning health facility in Gaza’s north, amid Israeli attacks.
Like many other detainees from the Gaza Strip, Israel has held Abu Safia without charge or trial, prompting widespread condemnation.
His arrest and detention are “a reflection of Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the decimation of the healthcare system in Gaza in order to inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians”, Amnesty International said.
In the statement, the UN experts said Abu Safiya “has suffered an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, violation of his human rights, including the right of every human being to be free from torture and ill treatment, and his right to health is being eroded”.
They urged the international community, including countries “with influence on Israel”, to take action “to ensure prevention, recourse and justice”.
“Israel must release Dr. Abu Safiya and all health care workers, and ensure they have access to appropriate medical care,” they said.
Gaza’s healthcare network has been decimated by Israel’s war on the enclave, with more than 930 attacks on the sector recorded since October 2023, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures from last month.
All 36 hospitals in the Strip have suffered damage due to Israeli attacks, the WHO said, while only half of all hospitals are partially functional.
Palestinian healthcare workers have also been targeted throughout the war.
Humanitarian group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said at least 1,722 medical workers were killed between October 2023 and October 2025 – an average of more than two killed every day.
