Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza who was arrested last week, has been transferred to Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility, according to a report published by CNN.
Abu Safiya’s family issued appeals for his whereabouts as he was not seen in public since his arrest on Saturday.
Last week, Israeli troops raided the hospital, claiming Hamas militants had used the facility as a hideout after their operational space in Jabalya was significantly reduced. This led to the closing of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and relocating operations to Beit Lahia’s Indonesian Hospital.
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Among those arrested by the IDF at the hospital were Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who the army and Shin Bet suspect of being involved in anti-tank and engineering operations for Hamas.
According to CNN’s report, Dr. Abu Safiya has been transferred by Israel to Sde Teiman prison. The notorious detention center that is also a military base is embroiled with scandals, including severely abusing a Palestinian detainee.
CNN reported that Israel hasn’t confirmed that Dr. Abu Safiya was taken to Sde Teiman, but rather cited three former detainees at the facility who claimed to have seen him or heard his name being read aloud.
“I heard them calling his name between the names they call every morning and night, and we had men that were brought to our cell and told us they were detained along with Dr. Hussam,” Yahya Zaqout, who claimed his cell was next to the doctor’s, told CNN.
Another former inmate, Alaa Abu Banat, told CNN he knows Dr. Abu Safiya. “They are all still in detention. They treated them really badly especially the doctors,” he claimed.