Gaza ceasefire: As Israel frees Palestinian medical staff prisoners, prominent hospital chief remains imprisoned

Under Gaza's ceasefire deal, Israel freed dozens of doctors, nurses, paramedics and different aesculapian unit seized during raids connected hospitals. But much than 100 stay successful Israeli prisons, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, a infirmary manager who became the look of the conflict to support treating patients nether Israeli siege and bombardment.

Despite wide calls for his release, Abu Safiya was not among the hundreds of Palestinian detainees and prisoners freed connected Monday (October 13, 2025) successful speech for 20 hostages held by Hamas. Abu Safiya, manager of Kamal Adwan Hospital successful bluish Gaza, has been imprisoned without complaint by Israel for astir 10 months.

Health Workers Watch, which documents detentions from Gaza, said 55 aesculapian workers — including 31 doctors and nurses — were connected lists of detainees from Gaza being freed connected Monday, though it could not instantly beryllium confirmed each were released.

The radical said astatine slightest 115 aesculapian workers stay successful custody, arsenic good arsenic the remains of 4 who died portion successful Israeli prisons, wherever rights groups and witnesses person reported predominant abuse.

Cheering unit from al-Awda Hospital carried connected their shoulders their released director, Ahmed Muhanna, who was held by Israel for astir 22 months since being seized successful a raid connected the installation successful bluish Gaza successful precocious 2023.

“Al-Awda Hospital volition beryllium restored, its unit volition rebuild it with their ain hands... I americium arrogant of what we person done and volition do,” Muhanna told well-wishers, his look visibly gaunter than earlier his detention, according to video posted connected societal media.

Al-Awda Hospital, damaged during aggregate offensives successful the mostly levelled Jabaliya exile camp, has been unopen down since May, erstwhile it was forced to evacuate during Israel's latest offensive.

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Israel's two-year run aiming to destruct Hamas aft its Oct 7, 2023, onslaught decimated Gaza's wellness system, forcing astir of its hospitals to unopen down and heavy damaging many, adjacent arsenic unit struggled to dainty waves of wounded from bombardment amid proviso shortages. During the war, Israeli forces raided a fig of hospitals and struck others, detaining hundreds of staff.

Israel says it targeted hospitals due to the fact that Hamas was utilizing them for subject purposes, a assertion Palestinian wellness officials deny.

Abu Safiya

It was unclear whether Dr. Abu Safiya, 52, mightiness inactive beryllium released. Israeli officials did not instantly respond to requests for comment. His household said connected societal media determination were “no confirmed details astir the day of his release,” adding that freed detainees described him arsenic “in bully wellness and beardown spirits.”

The Israeli subject said Dr. Abu Safiya was being investigated connected suspicion of cooperating with oregon moving for Hamas. Staff and planetary assistance groups that worked with him contradict the claims. In November 2023, Israeli forces seized Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, manager of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, declaring him a Hamas serviceman — but past released him 7 months later.

Dr. Abu Safiya, a paediatrician, led Kamal Adwan Hospital done an 85-day siege of the installation by Israeli troops during an violative successful the surrounding districts of Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.

When troops raided the infirmary connected December 27, images showed Dr. Abu Safiya successful his achromatic laboratory overgarment walking retired of the gathering done the streets of rubble toward an Israeli armoured conveyance to sermon evacuation of patients. Dr. Abu Safiya and dozens of others, including patients and staff, were taken prisoner.

Dr. Abu Safiya “stayed successful the infirmary until the past moment. He didn't permission due to the fact that each wellness attraction services determination would illness if helium left. Dr. Hossam is simply a genuinely large man,” said Dr. Saeed Salah, aesculapian manager of the Patient's Friends Hospital successful Gaza City, who has known Abu Safiya for 29 years.

Surviving siege

Throughout the siege, Dr. Abu Safiya repeatedly refused subject calls to unopen down the infirmary and evacuate. He posted predominant videos connected societal media showing unit struggling to dainty waves of wounded Palestinians.

He pleaded for planetary assistance arsenic the hospital's supplies ran retired and reported connected Israeli strikes connected the gathering that caused injuries and deaths among patients and staff, and damaged wards.

In October 2024, a drone onslaught killed 1 of his sons, Ibrahim, astatine the infirmary entrance.

“I refused to permission the infirmary and sacrifice my patients, truthful the service punished maine by sidesplitting my son,” helium said successful a video afterward, breaking down successful tears.

The adjacent month, shrapnel from a drone blast wounded Dr. Abu Safiya arsenic helium sat successful his office.

“Even with his wound, helium was circulating among the patients... He was sleeping, eating, drinking among the patients,” said Dr. Rana Soboh, a nutrition method advisor for the US aesculapian assistance radical MedGlobal.

Abu Safiya became the hospital's manager successful precocious 2023 aft his predecessor, Dr Ahmed Kahlout, was seized successful an Israeli raid. Kahlout is besides inactive being held by Israel, which accused him of being a subordinate of Hamas, though helium is not known to person been charged.

After becoming director, Dr. Abu Safiya worked to rebuild the heavy damaged hospital, reviving its intensive attraction portion and pediatric ward. Soboh worked with him to acceptable up a malnutrition portion that has treated hundreds of children.

He “is an astonishing doctor,” she said. “He built things retired of nothing.”

The raid

On Dec 27, troops surrounded the compound. Dr. Abu Safiya's lad Elias, who was successful the hospital, said his begetter went retired to speech to the officers, past returned and asked the unit to stitchery everyone — patients, unit and household members — successful the courtyard. Some were evacuated to different hospitals, others were detained.

Zaher Sahloul, president of MedGlobal, said troops wrecked the hospital's radiology section and operating rooms, and destroyed ventilators.

The Israeli subject said it launched the raid aft informing unit aggregate times astir Hamas fighters it claimed were operating from the hospital.

Days aft Dr. Abu Safiya was detained, his 74-year-old parent died, Elias said.

“She hadn't stopped crying since they detained him,” helium said.

Imprisonment

Dr. Abu Safiya is presently being held astatine Israel's Ofer Prison successful the occupied West Bank. The Israeli rights radical Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, which visited him successful September, said helium had not been brought earlier a justice oregon interrogated and had nary accusation astir wherefore helium was detained.

Dr. Abu Safiya said helium and different detainees received insufficient nutrient and aesculapian care, the radical said, adding that helium had mislaid astir 25 kg since his detention. It said helium reported that guards regularly bushed prisoners during searches of their cells.

Islam Mohammed, a freelance journalist, was detained with Abu Safiya successful the raid connected Kamal Adwan Hospital. For a period, helium was held astatine Ofer astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic Abu Safiya, though successful a antithetic cell, and said helium and different detainees were often beaten, and guards shouted insults astatine them.

“The attraction was inhuman from the clip of detention, until release,” said Mohammed, who was released to Gaza connected Monday. “To telephone it a beating does not picture it,” helium said.

Israeli officials accidental they travel ineligible standards for attraction of prisoners and that immoderate violations by situation unit are investigated.