Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal submitted on behalf of prominent Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, formally authorizing the continuation of his arbitrary detention without charge or trial.

The Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners fiercely condemned the ruling, describing it as a direct continuation of Israel’s cruel policy of arbitrary detention. The center emphasized that the decision is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which strictly mandate comprehensive protections for medical personnel during armed conflicts.

Despite the absolute absence of a formal indictment or any public evidence against him, Dr. Abu Safiya remains locked away. Human rights advocates reveal that he is currently being subjected to punitive solitary confinement in the notorious Nafha prison, enduring harsh, degrading conditions while being systematically denied his basic rights to adequate medical treatment and healthcare.

In its declaration, the organization demanded Dr. Abu Safiya's immediate release and issued an urgent plea to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations officials to break their silence, intervene immediately, and pressure the occupying authorities to end this lawless captivity.

The center stressed that the targeting of Dr. Abu Safiya is not an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate piece of a broader, catastrophic campaign designed to dismantle Gaza’s healthcare ecosystem. Since the launching of the genocidal war on the strip in October 2023, Palestinian medical workers have been placed directly in the crosshairs of the occupation forces.

According to horrifying statistics cited by the center, the ongoing assault has resulted in the martyrdom of more than 1,700 medical workers. Concurrently, hundreds of vital healthcare personnel—including hospital directors, specialist physicians, and frontline paramedics—have been abducted from their posts.

Out of approximately 362 medical workers violently detained during the offensive, around 83 remain trapped inside Israeli dungeons. Human rights reports continue to flag widespread allegations of severe torture, systematic ill-treatment, and the deliberate denial of healthcare aimed specifically at these detained medical professionals.

To justify the indefinite captivity of Dr. Abu Safiya, Israeli authorities have relied on the draconian "Unlawful Combatant Law." Enacted in 2002, this colonial-era legislation serves as a legal rubber stamp, allowing the occupation to imprison individuals indefinitely based entirely on "classified security files" that neither the detainees nor their lawyers are permitted to see.

While Israel has weaponized this law against Gazans since 2005, its application has been drastically expanded since October 2023 to bypass the standard judicial requirements of formal indictments and fair trials.

The Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners reminded the international community that global legal frameworks do not recognize Israel's manufactured category of an "unlawful combatant." Under international law, individuals captured during armed conflicts are strictly classified as either civilians or combatants—and in either case, Dr. Abu Safiya and his fellow abducted healers remain fully entitled to the unbreakable protections guaranteed by the Geneva Conventions. (ILKHA)