On December 27, Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was kidnapped by Israel Defense Forces during a raid on the besieged hospital. Abu Safiyeh had refused to leave the hospital, vowing to carry on his “humanitarian mission” to treat the wounded despite Israeli threats. Israeli soldiers then proceeded to abduct him.
The world witnessed Abu Safiyeh’s brutal abduction unfold in real time. The Israeli Channel 14 published horrifying footage of him moments before he was abducted by the IDF. In the last photos before his kidnapping, Abu Safiyeh is seen wearing his white lab coat, wading his way through the wreckage of the Kamal Adwan Hospital toward two Israeli tanks, which kept aiming their gun barrels at him.
Abu Safiyeh’s saga has been unfolding for months. Footage dated October 26, 2024, showed him and his medical staff holding up hands during the Israeli invasion of the hospital. As I wrote in this magazine in October: “After Dr Abu Safiyeh refused to evacuate the hospital, Israeli soldiers killed his son Ibrahim. In a video shared by journalist Anas al-Sharif, Dr Abu Safiyeh, still in his medical coat, leads a heartbreaking farewell prayer for his son. Another video showed Ibrahim’s mother bidding her son farewell and weeping over his body.” On Tuesday, Abu Safiyeh’s mother died of a heart attack.
Abu Safiyeh has been the voice of Gaza’s decimated health sector. His abduction is the latest manifestation of Israel’s campaign to destroy the enclave’s health care system. Kamal Adwan was Gaza’s last surviving major medical facility. For months, Israeli forces have besieged the hospital, battered it with shells, drones, and bombs, and sniped and executed medics, patients, and sheltering families. IDF soldiers invaded the hospital and destroyed wards, operating rooms, and intensive care units.
The Israeli army then
Auteur: Seraj Assi
