Israel has freed dozens of detained medical workers, sparking scenes of joy at hospitals like al-Awda, where staff hoisted their released director Ahmed Muhanna on their shoulders after 22 months in captivity. Yet, the deal's shadows loom large: over 100 health professionals remain locked in Israeli prisons, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the iconic pediatrician who became a symbol of defiance during Gaza's brutal hospital sieges.
The Monday exchange saw Hamas return 20 Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinian detainees, including 55 medical staff—31 doctors and nurses among them—per Health Workers Watch. Videos captured Muhanna, gaunt but resolute, vowing to rebuild al-Awda Hospital in Jabaliya's ruins. "We will restore it with our own hands," he declared to cheering crowds, his facility shuttered since a May offensive forced evacuation.
But for Abu Safiya, 52, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, freedom remains elusive. Detained without charge for nearly 10 months since a December 27 raid, he's held at Ofer Prison in the West Bank. His family shared on social media that fellow detainees described him as "in good health and strong spirits," but no release date is confirmed. Israeli officials, silent on queries, suspect him of Hamas ties—a charge denied by colleagues and aid groups, echoing the case of Shifa Hospital's Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, released after seven months despite similar accusations.
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Abu Safiya's saga is one of unyielding courage amid horror. A pediatrician with 29 years in Gaza's strained health system, he took over Kamal Adwan after his predecessor, Dr. Ahmed Kahlout, was seized in a prior raid—Kahlout still languishes in detention. Under Abu Safiya's watch, the hospital endured an 85-day Israeli siege in Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, treating bombardment victims with dwindling supplies.
He defied evacuation orders, posting raw social media videos of staff bandaging the wounded under fire. "I refused to leave and sacrifice my patients," he said after a drone strike in October 2024 killed his son Ibrahim at the hospital gates, leaving him sobbing on camera. Weeks later, shrapnel from another blast wounded him in his office, yet he persisted, sleeping among patients and rebuilding the ICU and pediatric wards from scratch.
Dr. Rana Soboh of MedGlobal, who collaborated on a malnutrition unit saving hundreds of children, called him "an amazing doctor who built things out of nothing." Dr. Saeed Salah, a longtime friend, added: "He stayed until the last moment—without him, health services would collapse. He's a truly great man."
The raid's chaos unfolded swiftly. With troops encircling the compound, Abu Safiya, in his white lab coat, negotiated patient evacuations amid rubble-strewn streets. His son Elias recounted how his father gathered everyone in the courtyard; some escaped to other facilities, but dozens—including patients and staff—were zip-tied and hauled away. MedGlobal's Zaher Sahloul reported troops trashing radiology suites, operating theaters, and ventilators, claiming Hamas militants hid inside—a allegation Palestinian officials reject.
Israel's two-year war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault that killed 1,139 and took over 200 captives, has gutted Gaza's 36 hospitals. Most are shuttered or crippled, with raids and strikes detaining hundreds of staff. Rights groups decry the toll: at least 115 medics still held, plus four who died in custody from reported abuses like beatings and neglect.
Abu Safiya's imprisonment has drawn global pleas, but he's endured in grim conditions. Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, visiting in September, found no charges, no judge, and scant interrogation details. He'd shed 25 kg from meager rations and poor care, witnessing routine cell raids where guards pummeled inmates. Freelance journalist Islam Mohammed, detained alongside him and freed Monday, described "inhuman" treatment: "Beatings don't even capture it—from arrest to release, it was torture." Israeli authorities insist they uphold legal standards, probing any violations.
As Gaza's death toll hits 67,913 with 170,134 wounded per Palestinian tallies, and thousands buried under rubble, Abu Safiya's fate tests the ceasefire's promise. With Muhanna's return fueling hope, his absence stings deeper— a reminder that for many healers, the war's wounds fester behind bars. Families like Elias, who lost his 74-year-old grandmother to grief over the detention, hold vigil.
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