Israel Supreme Court upholds detention of Hamas-linked hospital director

According to Hamas’ Military Medical Services and Palestinian media reports, Abu Safiya holds the rank of colonel in the organization’s medical division.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and a Hamas operative, against his continued detention.

The court’s decision and legal reasoning will not be made public because the ruling relied on classified intelligence.

The hearing was held behind closed doors, and neither Abu Safiya nor his attorney was given access to the confidential material presented to the court.

Abu Safiya, one of the most prominent Gazan detainees held by Israel, was arrested by Israeli forces in December 2024 during the war in Gaza.

He has since been held without charges and is currently in solitary confinement at Nafha Prison in southern Israel.

Israeli authorities have identified Abu Safiya as a Hamas operative.

According to Hamas’ Military Medical Services and Palestinian media reports, he holds the rank of colonel in the organization’s medical division.

Following his arrest, a photograph from 2016 emerged showing Abu Safiya wearing a Hamas uniform and seated alongside senior Hamas figures.

Another Hamas terrorist who was employed at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya told Israeli interrogators in 2025 that Gaza terror groups use the hospital because “they think it’s a safe haven.”

The Unlawful Combatants Law allows Israel to detain individuals suspected of involvement with hostile organizations or activities without filing criminal charges.

Detainees are subject to periodic judicial review, but authorities are not required to disclose classified evidence used to justify continued detention.

According to the Israeli military, 85 percent of Gaza’s hospitals have been used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for terror.

Israeli authorities have maintained that the Unlawful Combatants Law is used to prevent the release of individuals suspected of posing security risks when intelligence information cannot be disclosed in court.

More than 1,300 Palestinian detainees are currently being held under the law, according to Israeli figures.

Such detentions can initially last up to six months and may be renewed repeatedly if authorities determine that the individual continues to pose a security threat.

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