What Happened To The White-Clad Man Who Confronted Israeli Tanks?
The video of 51-year-old Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, wearing his white coat and walking through the rubble of his hospital towards an unknown fate, reluctant to abandon his patients, has been widely shared on social media. Since the video went viral, many have asked what happened to him following his detention.
Dr. Hussam is a prominent medical professional and humanitarian figure known for his significant role in the healthcare sector in Gaza. Israel’s arrest of the Palestinian doctor has sparked protests across the globe. Many international organizations, including Amnesty International, have demanded his immediate release.
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What Was in the Viral Video?
The last footage of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia was widely circulated on social media. In the video, he was seen walking toward an Israeli tank in his doctor’s coat near Kamal Adwan Hospital, which had been reduced to rubble by Israeli forces two days earlier.
Who Is Dr. Hussam Abu Safia?
Hussam Abu Safia, also known as Abu Elias, is a pediatrician and a key figure in Gaza’s healthcare system. He holds a master’s degree and a Palestinian board certification in pediatrics and neonatology.
Born in Jabalia Camp, the most populous refugee camp in Gaza, his family was displaced in 1948 from the Palestinian town of Hamama in the Ashkelon district. Despite multiple Israeli orders to evacuate Kamal Adwan Hospital following a devastating blockade imposed on northern Gaza on October 5, he chose to stay. During the siege, Israeli forces cut off food and water supplies to Palestinians in the area while launching airstrikes and shelling, killing hundreds of civilians.
He was briefly arrested and later released when Israeli forces stormed the facility in late October. Despite the ongoing siege, he and a small team of doctors and nurses remained at the hospital, refusing repeated orders from the Israeli military to leave.
By staying in the hospital, he kept the world informed about the attacks and pleaded for international intervention.
During one raid, the Director General of the Health Ministry in Gaza was severely beaten with batons and sticks by Israeli forces. He was forced to strip and wear prison clothing. Since then, the whereabouts of Dr. Hussam have remained unknown to the outside world.
What Happened to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia?
According to the latest reports, Dr. Hussam has been subjected to intense torture and inhumane treatment in an Israeli military prison. He was taken to the Sde Teiman military detention camp in Israel’s Negev Desert before being transferred to Ofer Prison.
Samir al-Mana’ama, a lawyer with the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights who recently visited him in Ofer Prison, reported that Dr. Hussam suffers from “an enlarged heart muscle and high blood pressure” and was beaten and denied medical treatment for his heart condition.
After being transferred to Ofer Prison on January 9, he was held in solitary confinement for 25 days and was interrogated non-stop by the Israeli army, Israeli intelligence, and police. “Despite denying all charges against him, he was beaten with an electric stick by the Israeli army to force a confession,” the lawyer stated.
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The lawyer further emphasized that there has been no legal justification for Dr. Hussam’s arrest, stating, “Any accusation requires evidence, and since there is no evidence, there is no real accusation against Dr. Hussam.”
Moreover, he was denied access to legal counsel for 47 days while being arbitrarily detained.
Freed Detainees Recount Meeting with Dr. Hussam
A recently released detainee, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, recounted meeting Dr. Hussam at Sde Teiman detention center, which is notorious for its torture practices. He recalled that Dr. Hussam told him, “Folks, I’ve been humiliated.”
Mohammad al-Ramlawi, another detainee, stated, “Two days before I was released, we were surprised to see Dr. Abu Safia enter our cell late at night.”
He further recounted that Dr. Hussam described the mistreatment and violations he endured during detention, saying, “I swear, I was humiliated, and the army treated me terribly when they arrested me.”
