Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1FI… Or on all other podcast platforms: rss.com/podcasts/diagnosingt…

🎙️New Podcast Episode As people around the world follow the life-threatening condition of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and call for his release, PHRI continues working around the clock to help save his life. In this new episode of Diagnosing the Barriers, PHRI's Maha Loulou and @LeeCaspi discuss our campaign calling for the release of 14 doctors from Gaza who remain in Israeli detention. Link in the comments > #releasethe14doctors

د. حسام أبو صفيّة لمحاميه: "هذه آخر مرّة تراني فيها... لقد أحضروني إلى هنا كي يقتلوني". تثير التقارير الأخيرة قلقًا بالغًا على سلامة د. أبو صفيّة، وأفراد الطواقم الطبيّة الآخرين المحتجزين في مرافق الاعتقال الإسرائيليّة. وتطالب منظّمة "أطبّاء لحقوق الإنسان" بإخراج د. أبو صفيّة فورًا من منشأة "ركيفت"، وإتاحة زيارة عاجلة من جهة مستقلّة للاطّلاع عن كثب على حالته قبل فوات الأوان. خلال الزيارة التي أجراها المحامي ناصر عودة إلى د. أبو صفيّة، يوم الخميس 2.7.26، شهد المحامي حالته الخطيرة؛ إذ اشتكى د. أبو صفيّة من أنّه يتعرّض يوميًّا للعنف والضرب منذ أسبوعين، ولا سيّما منذ نقله إلى منشأة "ركيفت" الواقعة تحت الأرض. وأفاد د. أبو صفيّة بأنّ الاعتداءات والتعذيب بحقّه قد تصاعدا بشكل حادّ بعد بدء الإجراءات القضائيّة المتعلّقة بإطلاق سراحه خلال الشهر الأخير. وروى أنّه بعد جلسة عُقدت في المحكمة العليا للنظر في الاستئناف المتعلّق بإطلاق سراحه، دخل إلى زنزانته أربعة أو خمسة سجّانين وضربوه في جميع أنحاء جسده بمطرقة وهراوات، ومنذ ذلك الحين، تحوّل هذا العنف إلى ممارسة يوميّة تسبّبت أيضًا في إفقاده الوعي عدّة مرّات خلال الأسبوع الأخير. وأفاد محاميه، ناصر عودة، بأنّ د. أبو صفيّة قد وصل إلى الزيارة الأخيرة مكبّل اليدين والرجلين، ويرافقه سجّانون ملثّمون. وبدت على جسده كدمات حديثة وخطيرة في الرأس، وحول العينين، وفي الأذنين والعنق، إلى درجة أنّ محاميه وجد صعوبة في التعرّف عليه. وخلال الزيارة، صَعُب على د. أبو صفيّة التنفّس والكلام بشكل متواصل، وبدا واهنًا للغاية، وكان يجد صعوبة في الجلوس دون أن يسقط. وفي أكثر من مرّة، مال إلى الخلف بطريقة أثارت الخشية من أنّه على وشك فقدان الوعي. وبحسب المحامي عودة، بدا د. أبو صفيّة مذعورًا وفي ضائقة شديدة، وصَعُب عليه التعبير عمّا يتعرّض له خوفًا من التنكيل به. يُذكر أن د. أبو صفيّة، وما لا يقلّ عن 13 طبيبًا فلسطينيًّا آخر من غزّة، محتجزون منذ أكثر من عام ونصف دون لوائح اتّهام ودون إجراء قضائي عادل. وتدعو منظّمة "أطبّاء لحقوق الإنسان" إلى إطلاق سراح جميع الأطبّاء فورًا. لقد أودت سياسة التعذيب التي تمارسها إسرائيل في السجون ضدّ المعتقلين الفلسطينيّين بحياة ما لا يقلّ عن 105 ضحايا منذ تشرين الأوّل/ أكتوبر 2023؛ ولذا نطالب بتدخّل عاجل قبل فوات الأوان.

🚨 Urgent Update Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya to his attorney: “This is the last time you’ll see me… They brought me here to kill me.” Recent reports raise grave concerns about Dr. Abu Safiya and the other healthcare professionals from Gaza held in Israeli detention facilities. PHRI demands the immediate removal of Dr. Abu Safiya from the Rekafet underground security facility and an urgent assessment of his condition by an independent actor, before it is too late. Adv. Nasser Odeh, who visited Dr. Abu Safiya last Thursday, witnessed what he described as a life-threatening condition. Dr. Abu Safiya reported that, for the past two weeks, particularly since his transfer to Rakefet, he has endured daily violence and beatings. He also reported a sharp escalation in assaults against him since judicial proceedings concerning his release began last month. According to Dr. Abu Safiya, after a hearing in his appeal at the Israeli Supreme Court, four to five officers entered his cell and beat him across his body with a hammer and batons. He said that similar violence has since become a daily occurrence, causing him to lose consciousness several times over the previous week. His attorney reported that Dr. Abu Safiya arrived at their most recent meeting with both his hands and feet cuffed and accompanied by masked guards. He observed fresh bruising across Dr. Abu Safiya’s body, including on his head and around his eyes, ears, and neck, injuries so severe that he could barely recognize him. During the meeting, Dr. Abu Safiya had difficulty breathing and speaking, appeared extremely weak, and struggled to remain seated without falling. On several occasions, he leaned backward, raising fears that he was about to lose consciousness. According to his attorney, he appeared frightened and in severe distress and was afraid to speak freely for fear of further retaliation. Dr. Abu Safiya and at least 13 other Palestinian physicians from Gaza have been held in Israeli custody for more than 18 months without charge or trial. PHRI calls for their immediate release. Israel’s torture practices against Palestinians in its prisons have already caused at least 105 deaths since October 2023. We call for urgent intervention before it is too late.

لكي نتمكّن من توثيق المظالم ومناهضتها، لا بدّ من وجود من يبلّغ عنها. لكنّنا شهدنا مرارًا، في السنوات الأخيرة، أنّ المظالم الجسيمة غالبًا ما تترافق مع إسكات كلّ من يعارضها. وبينما كنّا نوثّق تدمير جهاز الصحّة في غزّة، والوفاة والإهمال الطبّي في السجون، والمستويات غير المسبوقة من العسكرة والتطرّف القوميّ في أروقة المستشفيات والعيادات في إسرائيل، كنّا نوثّق أيضًا إسكات أعضاء الطواقم الصحيّة، ولا سيّما الفلسطينيّين منهم، ولكن أيضًا يهودًا يعارضون كلّ ذلك. لهذا السبب، تطلق منظّمة أطبّاء لحقوق الإنسان صندوق "خطّ أوّل". 📩 ابتداءً من اليوم، أصبح بإمكانك الإبلاغ، دون الكشف عن هويّتك، عن الانتهاكات الأخلاقيّة، والعنصريّة المؤسّسية، والتطرّف القوميّ، والتمييز، والملاحقة، بما يحمي المبلّغين والمبلّغات من أيّ خطر، ويضمن في الوقت نفسه ألّا تبقى هذه الممارسات المرفوضة في الخفاء. ساعدونا في نشر صندوق البلاغات "خطّ أوّل"، وانضمّوا إلينا في النضال من أجل أن تتمكّن الطواقم الصحيّة، دائمًا، من إعطاء الأولويّة للحفاظ على حياة الناس. للإبلاغ عبر "خطّ أوّل"، اضغط هنا 👇

Watch the film here → youtube.com/watch?v=KI8uiOeS…

We're delighted to share that the film "The Oath", The Guardian documentary, starring Dr. Lina Qasem-Hassan, Chair of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, has won the Best Documentary Short Award at the @Raindance Film Festival. The film follows Lina's work as a family physician, lecturer in medical ethics, and Chair of PHRI, highlighting her unwavering commitment to the principles of medical ethics. While the physician's oath requires providing equal care to every person, "The Oath" explores what it means to uphold those principles during the genocide in Gaza, and amid the ongoing violence in the West Bank. Congratulations to the filmmakers on this important work. We are proud to see Lina's story, and the work of PHRI—receive international recognition and reach audiences around the world. @liane_aviram @louishollis

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a pediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was detained December 26, 2024, from Kamal Adwan Hospital while performing his medical duties. He remains in custody without charges. During a conversation with him, Dr. Abu Safiya mentioned that he is still in need of his glasses who were confiscated at the time of his detention, and he was not provided with an alternative since. He also mentioned that he has lost a significant amount of weight and now suffers from skin infections caused by severe conditions. Dr. Abu Safiya is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect. It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release. Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law. #releasethe14doctors

❤️Your support this World Refugee Day will directly benefit people in situations similar to Sami's and help us promote the right to health to which all of us are equally entitled. > phr.org.il/en/donation/

Why are those who have overcome the most still forced to fight for their most basic needs? This #WorldRefugeeDay, I want to share a glimpse into the world of those living in Israel, invisible to public institutions and without the most basic safety net. The day before Passover, I was on shift as the in-house social worker at Physicians for Human Rights Israel's Open Clinic in Jaffa when Sami (alias) was wheeled in in an ill-fitting wheelchair with casts on both of his legs. Sami, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, presented us with discharge documents from a nearby hospital which clearly led us to the conclusion that he had attempted suicide. Unable to care for his own most basic needs, Sami was out of options. His neighbors, Eritrean asylum seekers themselves, who had found him alone in his home and had been caring for him for a week, could not continue doing so. As an asylum seeker in Israel, Sami is excluded from the public healthcare system, and completely reliant on his community and non-profit assistance. The urgency of his situation was staring me in the face. I began calling anyone I could think of to find a facility that could care for Sami during the long holiday, with no notice. After many long hours during which I refused to take no for an answer, the local welfare office notified us that a hospital willing to accept him had been found. At midnight, Sami was admitted, and my day could finally end. He was discharged from the hospital after a month and now visits our clinic weekly for physical therapy. Aside from his neighbors, I know that our clinic is Sami’s main safety net in Israel, and I feel the weight of bridging this gap every day. That’s why, beyond the individual assistance we provide to thousands, we also advance policy change and demand that all asylum seekers receive coverage through Israel’s public healthcare system. Until that goal is achieved, we will continue to provide care for those who need us. - Liri Gofer, Social Worker, The Bella Kaufman Open Clinic, PHRI

#releasethe14doctors 🚨 Gaza’s healthcare system cannot recover while the physicians responsible for saving lives remain imprisoned. We call for the detention orders against these physicians to be revoked and for their immediate release, so they can reunite with their families and communities and resume their life-saving work. The photos are used in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law.

UPDATE - Israel’s Supreme Court Rejects Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s Appeal The rejection of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s appeal and his continued detention without charge represent a profound moral and legal failure. Rather than upholding the fundamental principles of the rule of law and due process, the court has endorsed the indefinite detention of a hospital director who remains in solitary confinement while suffering from medical conditions that are not receiving appropriate treatment. The message sent by this decision is unmistakable: a medical professional can be deprived of his liberty indefinitely without being charged and without the authorities presenting evidence against him in open court. Dr. Abu Safiya’s case is not an isolated one. It illustrates how judicial review proceedings for Palestinian detainees from Gaza have, in practice, become little more than a procedural formality. Every month, hundreds of detention review hearings take place, yet to the best of our knowledge they have not resulted in the meaningful reconsideration or revocation of detention orders—even in cases involving doctors and other medical personnel. We call for the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya and all other doctors who continue to be held without charge or trial.

Dr. Mahmoud AlHallaq, an Intensive Care Unit physician at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024, from Nasser Hospital in an Israeli army raid to the hospital. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings. During a conversation with him, Dr. AlHallaq mentioned that the whole ward he is held in suffers from scabies, and that although they always ask prison medics for treatment for the scratching – they never receive it.  He also mentioned that the food situation is dire – lacking in quality and quantity. Dr. Mahmoud AlHallaq is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect. It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release. Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law. #ReleaseThe14Doctors

أفرجوا عن الأطباء الـ14!

Last Saturday, our Mobile Clinic visited the village of Ra'i in the West Bank for what became one of our busiest days on record. In a single day, our team treated 765 patients, including 65 children. Ra'i is home to about 10,000 residents, many of whom rely on agriculture for their livelihoods after being barred from working in Israel. This has left them facing increasingly severe economic hardship. At the same time, their healthcare needs continue to grow amid a worsening healthcare crisis, compounded by the ongoing physicians’ strike in the Palestinian Authority. As violence from Israeli settlers and military forces grows and access to healthcare becomes more difficult, our Mobile Clinic continues serving the communities most in need, providing essential medical care to those with no other options or protection.

Dr. Omar Ammar, a gyno-oncologist, was detained March 3, 2024, while passing through tanks in his hometown. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings. During a conversation with him, Dr. Ammar mentioned that he was held in a cell with 10 people – each had a mattress but there were only 6 beds, meaning 4 people would sleep on thin mattresses on the floor. Dr. Omar Ammar is among dozens of healthcare workers from #Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect. It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release. Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law. #ReleaseThe14Doctors

#releasethe14doctors Since October 2023, Israel has arrested hundreds of healthcare workers in Gaza, including many young physicians — the future of Gaza’s healthcare system. Dr. Hamza Abu Sabha, 32, is married to Riham Ismail and the father of Mohammad. An orthopedic specialist at Nasser Hospital, he completed his medical studies in Sudan just 6 years ago. He’s been detained since February 2024.

Dr. Raed Mahdi, a pediatrician at Muhammad Al-Durra Children’s Hospital, was detained December 8, 2023 from his home in Central Gaza along with his neighbors. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings. During a conversation with him, Dr. Mahdi mentioned that even two years into his detention, food is still scarce – lacking in quantity and quality. He also mentioned that he still suffers from an inguinal hernia that causes him daily pain. Dr. Mahdi is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect. It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release. Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law. #ReleaseThe14Doctors

Dr. Nahed Abu Teima, the head of surgery at Nasser Hospital, was detained February 16, 2024 from Nasser Hospital while performing his medical duties. He remains in custody without charges or trial and has not had legal representation at any of his hearings. During a conversation with him, Dr. Abu Teima mentioned that although he - and others - would constantly seek doctors or even medics for medical attention, it was rarely delivered. He mentioned that they are not provided with hygiene products such as nail and hair clippers, nor cleaning products. He added that two years into his detention he was taken for an interrogation that lasted a total of one hour on a span of three days, was informed there were still no charges against him, yet his detention was still extended. Dr. Abu Teima is among dozens of healthcare workers from Gaza who are being unlawfully detained by Israel and subjected to inhumane conditions and ongoing medical neglect. It is our responsibility to demand their immediate release. Use of the photo is made in accordance with Section 27A of the Copyright Law. #ReleaseThe14Doctors