A United Nations investigation expressed worry on Wednesday over alleged mistreatment of a well-known Palestinian physician captured by the Israeli military in Gaza in December 2024 and currently detained in Israel, urging for his immediate release. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, called for the prompt liberation of Hussam Abu Safiya, the head of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Concerns have been raised by rights groups and Abu Safiya’s legal counsel that his life is at risk and he remains imprisoned without formal charges, as confirmed by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, an Israeli human rights organization. The UN inquiry remarked in a statement that the treatment of Palestinian detainees by Israeli Prison Service guards raises serious apprehensions of international law violations that may constitute international crimes, affecting Dr. Abu Safiya’s health directly. On the other hand, an Israel Prison Service representative dismissed the allegations as false and baseless.
Abu Safiya’s lawyer claimed on Monday that his client’s well-being was in jeopardy and that he faced daily abuse. During a Supreme Court session held via video link in Jerusalem in June, Abu Safiya appeared visibly thinner around his face and abdomen. The UN inquiry highlighted that the reported conduct of Israeli authorities towards Abu Safiya mirrors a larger pattern of violations identified in previous reports. In September 2025, the inquiry accused Israeli authorities of committing genocide by targeting the healthcare system and medical professionals in Gaza since October 2023, an accusation vehemently denied by Israel. Israel has accused the inquiry of having a biased political agenda against the country and deviating from its mandate, refusing to cooperate with it.
Separately, a UN human rights body denounced Israel’s detention of Abu Safiya as arbitrary and demanded his immediate release. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Israel’s actions contravened several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In the midst of these events, Israeli airstrikes and gunfire resulted in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians, including two children aged 10 and six, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to health officials. The Israeli military stated that it targeted militants in Gaza City but was unaware of any casualties. The deadly strikes included incidents near a school in Gaza City and a tent for displaced individuals in Khan Younis, resulting in multiple casualties, including children.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on these incidents. Since a ceasefire with Hamas was brokered by the U.S. last October, Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Gaza, citing the targeting of militants posing threats to its forces or linked to previous attacks on Israel. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, while the U.S. Board of Peace envoy to Gaza has acknowledged violations by both sides. The ceasefire has since led to the deaths of over 1,070 Palestinians, largely civilians, and four Israeli soldiers in Gaza, without Hamas disclosing its fighter casualties.