Diplomatic efforts must be used to ensure detained Gazan doctor is released

Sir, – Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza and a prominent voice of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector, has been arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities since his arrest on December 27th, 2024. It was not until February 11th, 2025, that the Israeli authorities allowed Dr Abu Safiya to meet legal counsel. Reports from his lawyer indicate the doctor and other detainees have been subjected to abuse and other ill-treatment. Following the most recent visit by his lawyer, Dr Abu Safiya felt he may well be dead by the time his lawyer was next scheduled to visit, so dire is his failing health.

Prior to retirement I was a former director of registration and interim chief executive of the Medical Council of Ireland. In my time at the Medical Council I developed a great appreciation and admiration for those in the “caring profession”, and from what I have seen and read about Dr Abu Safiya he exemplifies and exceeds what we expect of a doctor. His commitment to the people of Gaza among the systematic ruination of the Gaza health system is a testament to a man of the greatest integrity.

In light of the barbaric treatment and unconscionable actions of the Israeli authorities in their treatment of Dr Abu Safiya, it is incumbent upon the Irish Government to take urgent action. All diplomatic efforts must be used to ensure his immediate transfer to a safe hospital under the scrutiny of a neutral observer.

As Amnesty International has stated: “Dr Abu Safiya’s arrest and ongoing arbitrary detention without charges or trial – based on the abusive Unlawful Combatants’ Law – is a reflection of Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the decimation of the healthcare system in Gaza in order to inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians.”