UN Calls for Immediate Release of Kamal Adwan Hospital Director

Two United Nations experts have demanded the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, along with other medical staff detained by Israeli forces. 

The experts expressed shock at reports of extrajudicial killings near the hospital.

In a joint statement published by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Physical and Mental Health, and Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, condemned the targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers. 

According to the statement, Israeli forces have killed over 1,057 Palestinian healthcare workers and detained dozens more, some of whom died under torture.

The experts emphasized that Dr. Abu Safiya was arbitrarily detained after refusing orders to abandon his patients and colleagues. 

Despite being injured in Israeli attacks and witnessing the killing of his son, Abu Safiya continued to provide medical care under harrowing conditions, including the bombing of the hospital.

“This blatant assault on the right to health in the occupied Palestinian territories has reached unprecedented levels of impunity during more than a year of genocide,” the experts stated.

They further highlighted the heroic dedication of Palestinian medical professionals in Gaza, contrasting it with what they described as the "moral decay" that allows the ongoing genocide. 

“Medical workers are civilians performing essential duties during crises and are entitled to special protection under international humanitarian law. They cannot be targeted or detained for practicing their profession,” they added.