The suffering of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is not an isolated incident. The abuse of Palestinian detainees occurs openly, with little change.
Dr. Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was seized by Israeli forces 18 months ago and held without charge.
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He reports being beaten with hammers and batons, daily assaults, and loss of consciousness. Recent images show him gaunt and unrecognizable.
In June, he was transferred to Rakefet prison, an underground facility deemed inhumane and closed, but reopened in late 2023 by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Prisoners there never see daylight, violating the Geneva Conventions.
Across Palestinian territories and Israel, about 3,500 prisoners are held under administrative detention, renewable every six months indefinitely.
Nearly 200 are children. Once detained, they are essentially abducted by the state.
Ali al-Samoudi, a Palestinian journalist released earlier this year, lost 60 kg—half his body weight.
He described prison as “hell in every sense of the word,” saying, “Everything they practised with us was punishment and revenge.”
The scale of abuse, torture, and death in Israeli prisons is well documented.
A recent photo posted by an Israeli soldier shows a Palestinian man face down, stripped to his underwear, bound to a plank with ropes and an iron rod.
The caption read “good morning” in Hebrew, echoing Abu Ghraib.
These are not isolated incidents but part of a longstanding system that denies Palestinians human rights, aiming to terrorize, break morale, and collectively punish.
