🔴 Danger to fate of Dr. Hussam Abu Saffiyah multiplies after occupation denies arrest
2/1/2025

Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), Ramallah: The dangers and risks to the fate of Dr. Hussam Abu Saffiyah are only multiplying with time, and particularly after the occupation army denied there being a record of his arrest. 

Despite the existence of clear evidence, including videos and testimonies, of Dr. Abu Saffiyah’s arrest on December 27, 2024, the occupation is denying that the doctor is in their custody. 

On January 2, Physicians for Human Rights submitted a request for a lawyer's visit to Dr.  Abu Saffiyah on behalf of his family. The occupation army responded, claiming that “a review found no indication of the arrest of the individual.” Physicians for Human Rights in turn submitted an urgent petition for information about the doctor. 

Three detained doctors from Gaza have been killed by the occupation army since the genocide began in October 2023: Iyad al-Rantisi, Adnan al-Bursh, and Ziad al-Dalu.

Dr. Abu Saffiyah is one of thousands of cases of detainees who were residing in Gaza and were subject to enforced disappearance. He is also one of at least 320 medical personnel who have been arrested by the occupation. The arrests of doctors and the destruction of hospitals are one of the key aspects of the genocide. 

In this context, the PPS holds the occupation fully responsible for the fate of Dr. Abu Saffiyah. The international human rights system must save what remains of its claimed purpose in the face of genocide. Despite the recent decisions by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which served as a glimmer of hope, the genocide continues unabated, with crimes of torture against prisoners being one of its main features.