Surprise upon arrival: Former Sde Teiman prisoners support doctor

Surprise upon arrival: Former Sde Teiman prisoners support doctor

Two former Palestinian prisoners who were recently released from Israel's notorious Sde Teiman prison said they met the prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya saw there last month. They stated that it arrived in “poor condition.”

Condition of Hussam Abu Safiya

The former detainees said that Abu Safiya appeared both physically and mentally exhausted and that they were surprised to find him there. Israel has not yet said where Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, is being held, but he is being investigated for alleged Hamas membership, which the former detainees have dismissed as false.

Reactions to the arrest

“Everyone was surprised by his arrival because he is a humanitarian doctor who does not belong to any organization,” said Mustafa Hassouna, one of the former detainees who was released in central Gaza last month along with Mohammad Al-Ramlawi. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) captured Abu Safiya completing a raid that closed his hospital, which was the last functioning health facility in northern Gaza in December.

Reports of mistreatment

In an interview from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Hassouna told CNN that when Abu Safiya arrived in Sde Teiman, he was "exhausted" and initially unable to speak. However, the former prisoners do not believe that Abu Safiya was tortured. A previous CNN investigation uncovered allegations of abuse at the prison, including doctors amputating limbs due to injuries caused by constant handcuffing.

Legal situation and extension of detention

A lawyer for Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), a human rights organization, informed CNN on Friday that Abu Safiya was brought to court in Ashkelon without the knowledge or presence of a lawyer and that Israeli authorities have extended his detention until February 13. The IDF told CNN that Abu Safiya "is currently being investigated by the Israeli security forces."

Experiences of former prisoners

Al-Ramlawi reported that he saw Abu Safiya when the Israeli military took him to prison around 10 p.m. on December 27. “Abu Safiya came to us in very bad condition,” said Al-Ramlawi. “We asked him what was wrong and he said he had been humiliated and treated badly.” Abu Safiya told the other detainees that the Israeli military "came to the hospital, killed five members of the medical staff and set fire to the Kamal Adwan Hospital in front of the doctor."

Living conditions in prison

Both former detainees described the poor conditions at the military site in Israel's Negev Desert, which also serves as a detention center. They reported that Abu Safiya was being held in “cell number two.” Their detention area included four barracks and six cells. Abu Safiya has not been seen in public since his arrest in late December. He was previously arrested in late October but was released several hours later. His family said his mother died of a heart attack this week.

Reports of torture and abuse

Both Al-Ramlawi and Hassouna reported being tortured in Sde Teiman. “We are suffering from many things, including lack of food and biting cold,” Al-Ramlawi told CNN, noting that prisoners were forced to assume painful positions for hours. “The humiliation is unbearable,” he added. “The treatment we received from the military is very, very bad.” Hassouna reported that soldiers sprayed pepper spray in prisoners' eyes and used dogs to intimidate them.

IDF statement

In response to the allegations, the IDF said in a statement that "mistreatment of prisoners during their detention violates the law and orders of the IDF and is therefore strictly prohibited." The IDF denied allegations of systematic abuse of prisoners, including violence or torture, adding that "in certain cases, members of detention staff have been dismissed for failing to behave as expected and in accordance with facility procedures."

Last message from Abu Safiya

Al-Ramlawi reported that on his last day in Sde Teiman, Abu Safiya asked him to contact his wife and son in Gaza and ask his family to "notify the press, the Red Cross or any organization to help with his situation and the crisis he is in." The IDF previously stated that all prisoners brought to Sde Teiman will be interrogated and asked the same questions about the locations of the Israeli hostages, the tunnels used by Hamas and where Hamas stores its weapons.