The International Commission (ICSPR) Issues an Urgent Appeal to the International Community to Protect the Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Medical Staff, and Injured Detainees Held in Israeli Prisons

Date: December 31, 2024

Urgent Appeal

The International Commission (ICSPR) Issues an Urgent Appeal to the International Community to Protect the Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Medical Staff, and Injured Detainees Held in Israeli Prisons

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has sent an urgent message to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN Special Envoy, the President of the Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the UN Fact-Finding Committee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance, the World Health Organization, the European Union, the International Parliament, and international organizations concerned with the rights of prisoners and detainees.

The International Commission (ICSPR) extends its sincere greetings to you and highly appreciates your efforts to ensure that all people around the world enjoy a dignified life through the genuine and practical application of human rights charters and international humanitarian law, which the occupying state continues to disregard. The war against civilians has persisted for 452 consecutive days, with ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, violating all rules of international humanitarian law and international agreements protecting human rights.

ICSPR has confirmed that during the Israeli military operation at Kamal Adwan Hospital, 35 medical staff members, including the hospital director, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, were arrested and taken to unknown locations. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces instructed Dr. Abu Safia to report to the detention center at Al-Fakhoura School instead of the Indonesian Hospital along with his medical team. During his arrest, he was severely beaten with sticks, humiliated, and forced to strip at gunpoint. He was dressed in prisoner’s clothing and used as a human shield in the Al-Fakhoura area west of Jabalia. This pattern was repeated with all detainees, representing a blatant violation of the special protections granted to medical personnel and facilities. Dr. Abu Safia also holds Russian citizenship and is a prominent figure in the health sector, playing a crucial humanitarian role in treating the wounded and sick in northern Gaza.

ICSPR has verified numerous violations against Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons, including abuse, harassment, beatings, torture, degrading treatment, being used as human shields, sexual harassment, and rape. Prisoners are taken to unknown locations, denied fair trials and legal representation, and deprived of their basic human rights, perpetuating crimes of enforced disappearance. Israeli crimes, especially torture and medical negligence, have led to increased deaths in Israeli prisons. Recently, five detainees from Gaza died due to torture and abuse: Ashraf Abu Warda, Mohammed Rashid Al-Aka, Samir Mahmoud Al-Kahlout, Zuhair Omar Al-Sharif, and Mohammed Labed. This brings the total number of Palestinian prisoners killed in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, to more than 55, including 38 from Gaza. Among the deceased are Dr. Adnan Al-Barsh, Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi, and Dr. Ziad Al-Dalou.

The ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinian detainees represent a blatant violation of the principles and provisions of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 concerning the protection of civilians in times of war, the Third Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, and international human rights standards and charters.

ICSPR affirms that the continued international failure to stop Israel’s genocide against Palestinian civilians for the fifteenth month, and the silence regarding killings, torture, rape, deprivation of rights, and ill-treatment of prisoners, serves as a green light for Israel to escalate its crimes, disregarding international laws and agreements.

ICSPR reiterates the international community’s and international organizations’ responsibility to immediately and humanely intervene to protect civilians, stop the Israeli aggression, and end the ongoing genocide, which has resulted in over 60,000 martyrs and missing persons, including 1,100 medical personnel.

ICSPR holds Israel fully responsible for the lives of prisoners and detainees, especially the sick, wounded, and medical staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital, whose communication has been cut off, and who were taken to unknown locations.

ICSPR affirms that testimonies from released prisoners indicate that they were subjected to interrogation, abuse, torture, sexual harassment, beatings, stress positions, and degrading treatment. Among them were patients, wounded individuals, and medical staff, including Kamal Adwan Hospital Director Dr. Hossam Abu Safia.

ICSPR expresses its deep concern for the lives of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, particularly detainees from Gaza, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, and those arrested at Kamal Adwan Hospital. We urge you to provide the necessary international protection, monitor their detention, reveal their whereabouts, follow their health conditions, and ensure their legal representation.

ICSPR calls on you to dispatch an international investigative committee to examine crimes of enforced disappearance, torture, rape, murder, and medical negligence inside Israeli prisons and camps, where detainees endure the most horrific forms of torture, humiliation, harassment, rape, medical neglect, food and medicine deprivation, and repeated physical assaults.

We hope for your swift intervention to stop violations and crimes against prisoners, as their lives are at risk. Tomorrow may be too late. Civilians, prisoners, and detainees await your contributions and interventions to ensure their rights and protection in accordance with international humanitarian law and global human rights standards.