Israel Is Killing Dr. Abu Safiya — Congress Must Act Now

I demand that Congress take immediate and decisive action to secure the unconditional release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya from Israeli custody. There is no time for delay. His life is in imminent danger, and Israeli custody and Israeli actions are the cause. Dr. Abu Safiya is a Palestinian pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. Israeli forces abducted him on December 27, 2024, after raiding the hospital where he was treating patients and refusing to abandon them as Israel devastated Gaza’s healthcare system. He has now been imprisoned for more than 18 months without charge or trial under Israel’s so-called Unlawful Combatants Law, based on secret evidence he and his lawyers cannot meaningfully challenge. When his lawyer saw him on July 2, Dr. Abu Safiya was reportedly barely recognizable, with fresh injuries and signs of torture across his head and body. He was shackled, extremely weak, struggling to breathe and speak, and repeatedly close to losing consciousness. He said: “They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving. This is the end.” He is not simply at risk of dying while in Israeli custody. Israeli custody is the danger. Beatings, torture, starvation, medical neglect, shackling, solitary confinement, threats, and continued imprisonment without charge are actively destroying his body and could directly cause his death. The warnings are overwhelming. The WHO, U.N. bodies and experts, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights, PHR-Israel, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, Doctors Against Genocide, MedGlobal, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Churches for Middle East Peace, FCNL, Pax Christi International, Priests Against Genocide, and many others have demanded his release, the release of unlawfully detained Palestinian medical workers, or urgent action on his behalf. Congress has been warned. I am not asking for statements of concern or regret after it is too late. I am demanding action now. Use every ounce of U.S. political, diplomatic, economic, and military leverage to secure his immediate release. Demand direct White House and State Department intervention and impose real consequences if Israel refuses. If Israel kills Dr. Abu Safiya in custody, his blood will be on the hands of every member of Congress who knew, had the power to act, and failed to secure his release. Save his life before Israel ends it.