The United Nations investigation released a statement on Wednesday expressing worry over reports of mistreatment of a well-known Palestinian physician captured by the Israeli military in Gaza in December 2024 and currently detained in Israel. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, called for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safiya, who serves as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Various rights organizations and Abu Safiya’s legal representative have highlighted concerns about his precarious health situation and his prolonged detention without formal charges, as confirmed by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, an Israeli human rights group. The UN inquiry criticized the Israeli Prison Service’s treatment of Palestinian detainees, indicating potential violations of international law amounting to international crimes and directly impacting Dr. Abu Safiya’s health condition.
Contrary to these claims, an Israel Prison Service spokesperson refuted the allegations on Wednesday, labeling them as baseless and inaccurate. Although not directly mentioning Abu Safiya, the spokesperson previously dismissed claims of mistreatment of him and other medical professionals in prison.
Abu Safiya’s lawyer recently raised alarms about his declining health and daily abuse. During a Supreme Court session in Jerusalem via video link in June, Abu Safiya appeared visibly thinner in the face and abdomen. The UN inquiry noted the reported actions of Israeli authorities towards Abu Safiya as part of a larger pattern of violations identified in prior reports.
In September 2025, the UN inquiry accused Israeli authorities of committing genocide by targeting the healthcare system and medical practitioners in Gaza since October 2023, a claim strongly refuted by Israel. Israel has accused the inquiry of bias against the country and straying from its mission, refusing to cooperate with it.
Additionally, a separate UN human rights body deemed Israel’s detention of Abu Safiya as arbitrary and demanded his immediate release. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Israel’s actions violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In other news, Israeli airstrikes and gunfire resulted in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians, including two young children aged 10 and six, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as confirmed by health officials. Israeli military sources reported targeting militants in Gaza City but were unaware of any casualties. The strikes included incidents near a school in Gaza City and a tent for displaced persons in Khan Younis, causing multiple fatalities and injuries. Palestinian health officials reported the death of a six-year-old child due to Israeli gunfire in Gaza City.
Since a ceasefire mediated by the U.S. with Hamas in October 2023, Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Gaza, citing defense against militants threatening its forces or involved in past attacks. The ceasefire violations have been condemned by both Hamas and U.S. President Donald Trump’s appointed Board of Peace envoy to Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov. Over the past nine months, the conflict has resulted in over 1,070 Palestinian casualties, including civilians, and four Israeli soldiers, with Hamas not disclosing its fighters’ death toll.