GENEVA, July 6 - A U.N. human rights body has determined that the detention of Gaza-based doctor Hussam Abu Safiya by Israeli authorities is arbitrary and has urged his immediate release, saying his continued detention violates key international human rights standards.
In its formal finding, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said the circumstances of Abu Safiya’s detention contravene multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The group added that the proper remedy would be to release him without delay and to provide him "an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law."
The panel also flagged a broader concern: the case is one of several brought to its attention and "may indicate a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country." That language reflects the Working Group’s view that the issue could extend beyond an individual matter and point to systemic patterns.
Earlier on Monday, the doctor’s lawyer said Abu Safiya’s health was in grave danger and accused his captors of subjecting him to brutal abuse on a daily basis. Those allegations prompted renewed calls from rights groups for authorities to release the physician immediately.
The Israel Prison Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In prior statements, the service has rejected claims that Abu Safiya and other medical professionals have been mistreated while incarcerated.
Separately, the Israeli Supreme Court has in the past declined to offer comment in response to appeals seeking Abu Safiya’s release.
Context and current state
The Working Group’s determination lays out both a remedial recommendation - immediate release and compensation - and a broader warning that the case could be symptomatic of more extensive detention practices. Rights groups and the doctor’s legal counsel have framed his condition as an urgent humanitarian concern, while Israeli authorities have not provided a new public response to the Working Group’s statement.
The situation remains unresolved and centers on competing claims: the U.N. panel’s legal finding and the lawyer’s allegations of daily abuse and life-threatening health deterioration versus official denials made previously by the prison service and the lack of comment from the highest court on recent appeals.