Over 800 UK medical workers urge government to act to save Dr Abu Safiya
Detained Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya appearing via video conference for his Israeli Supreme Court hearing in Jerusalem, 10 June 2026
Fleur Hargreaves reports in Middle East Eye on 15 July 2026:
More than 800 doctors, nurses and medical professionals in the UK have signed an open letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling for her urgent intervention to secure the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, whose life is at risk after more than 550 days in Israeli captivity.
Abu Safiya is a Palestinian paediatrician and director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital who rose to international prominence during Israel’s genocide due to his role in helping victims.
He was abducted by Israel and has been held without charge or trial since 27 December 2024.
The letter, which was coordinated by Amnesty International UK and NHS campaign group Health Workers 4 Palestine, states: “We urge you to publicly and unequivocally demand his immediate release and use all economic, political, and diplomatic tools at your disposal to secure his release.”
It cites a visit to the Israeli detention facility by a lawyer for Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) on 2 July, who reported observing extensive bruising and marks of torture across Dr Abu Safiya’s head and body, leaving him weak and barely recognisable.
PHRI added that he has been subjected to daily beatings since he was transferred to the Rakevet facility, an underground wing within the Ayalon Prison complex in Israel’s Ramla, and has been held in solitary confinement since last month. He has routinely been denied access to medical treatment, despite suffering from various chronic health conditions. Abu Safiya reportedly told his lawyer: “This is the last time you’ll see me… they brought me here to kill me.”
Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “Dr Hussam Abu Safiya is being tortured to the brink of death by Israeli forces – for the crime of refusing to abandon his patients. The UK government must act now, publicly and forcefully, to secure his immediate release – before it’s too late.”
‘Not a one off’
Amira Nimerawi, CEO of Health Workers 4 Palestine, accused the British government of allowing the doctor to “die slowly in an Israeli prison cell due to lack of political will to act consistently for him and hundreds of Palestinian health workers.
“This is not an accident. It is the result of a system of detention designed to break him.”