“Unbelievable Bravery”: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Abducted from Gaza Hospital; Advocates Call for Release

Human rights advocates and healthcare professionals around the world are demanding the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the largest major hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital. Abu Safiya disappeared in December after Israeli forces raided and shut down Kamal Adwan. Released Palestinians say they saw him at Sde Teiman Israeli prison, which has been plagued by reports of gruesome abuses including torture and sexual violence against Palestinians in custody. It is now believed he is held at the Ofer Prison. Abu Safiya’s friend and former colleague, Dr. John Kahler, a co-founder of the medical humanitarian aid group MedGlobal, speaks to Democracy Now! about Abu Safiya’s tireless commitment to his medical work while suffering the pain, trauma and tragedy of Israel’s war on Gaza. “His bravery is a supreme act of resistance,” says Kahler. “What no oppressor will tolerate is that level of resistance.”