Israeli courts deny the release of 14 Gaza doctors and deny an independent medical exam for Dr Abu Safiya
Two Israeli courts have denied petitions by Physicians for Human Rights Israel: the Supreme Court dismissed a request to release 14 Palestinian doctors held without charge or trial, and the Lod District Court denied a request for an independent medical examination of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the Kamal Adwan Hospital director detained since December 2024. A specialist who reviewed Abu Safiya's prison medical records says his weight fell by 14 kilograms in four months and that documented injuries and a fall in haemoglobin were not properly investigated. The state told the court Abu Safiya is receiving regular care and his health is not at risk.
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Key points
- The Supreme Court dismissed the petition to release 14 Gaza doctors held without charge or trial, finding no grounds to intervene in the chief of staff's detention decision.
- The Lod District Court denied an independent medical examination for Kamal Adwan director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, detained since 27 December 2024.
- A specialist's review of his prison medical records found a 14-kilogram weight loss in four months, a fall in haemoglobin, and documented injuries the records do not explain.
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- The state says Abu Safiya receives regular care and his health is not at risk; the prison service calls the allegations a campaign to discredit Israel.
What happened
Abu Safiya stayed at Kamal Adwan Hospital through months of siege before Israeli forces raided it on 27 December 2024 and detained him. He has been held under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows detention without trial, and in June 2026 the Supreme Court upheld his detention; he was transferred the same month to Rakefet, where PHRI says he has been held in isolation.
PHRI brought both petitions as Gaza's hospitals work with a severe shortage of senior doctors. The group says 14 Palestinian doctors, including hospital directors and specialists, remain in Israeli prisons without charge or trial; the UN Human Rights Office in July called for Abu Safiya to be released or charged and given a fair trial.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That both petitions were denied, on PHRI's account of the rulings, reported in the same terms by Al Jazeera, Arab News and the Guardian's reporting.
- That Abu Safiya has been held without charge since 27 December 2024, and what his prison medical records show, on the specialist review PHRI obtained.
- That the state assured the court he receives regular care, and the prison service rejects the allegations.
What we don't know yet
- Abu Safiya's current health — PHRI says the prison service has refused to release his updated medical file, and no independent doctor has examined him.
- How the injuries recorded on 5 July 2026 happened — the records do not say, and his beating allegation has not been independently tested.
- Whether any further appeal will be brought, and when the detention orders next come up for review.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (6)
Why this label: The dismissal and the court's reason are PHRI's account of the ruling it petitioned for, reported in the same terms by Al Jazeera and Arab News; the state told the court the cases had been reviewed and no exceptional grounds justified release.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The denial is reported by Arab News, read in full, and by the Guardian's reporting of the same ruling; PHRI's legal argument is its own position as petitioner.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The detention date, place and legal designation are reported consistently by Al Jazeera, the Guardian's reporting and CIVICUS/PHRI's campaign statement; the isolation detail is PHRI's, from its lawyer's visits.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: These are Tirosh's findings from the prison service's own records, reported in agreement by the Guardian, Al Jazeera and Arab News. They verify what the records and his review show; they do not by themselves establish how the injuries happened.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: This is Abu Safiya's allegation, through his lawyer. No independent examination has been allowed, and the prison service disputes the wider allegations (see its response below), so the beating account itself is not verified.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why this label: Each element is the state's or the prison service's own stated position, carried as their positions: the assurances are reported by Arab News, the prison service's words by the Guardian, and the closed-proceedings allegations are PHRI's account of the ruling, reported by Arab News and MENAFN.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
The rulings keep 14 of Gaza's most senior doctors in detention without trial while its health system is short of exactly those specialists — and they leave the only medical account of the best-known detainee resting on prison records no independent doctor has been allowed to test in person.
Background
Show the background timeline (5)
Israeli forces raid Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and detain its director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya; the hospital is put out of service.
The Supreme Court upholds Abu Safiya's detention; he is transferred to the Rakefet detention facility and held in isolation.
The UN Human Rights Office calls for his immediate release or, failing that, charges, a fair trial and transfer to a civilian hospital.
CIVICUS and PHRI add Abu Safiya to the Stand As My Witness campaign, calling for the release of all 14 detained Gaza doctors.
PHRI announces the two court denials: no release for the 14 doctors, and no independent medical examination for Abu Safiya.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published in Checking state — the two court denials are confirmed by the petitioning rights group's account across several reports, and Abu Safiya's current health and the cause of his recorded injuries remain unestablished.