If we truly had a free media in the US, rather than one serving the interest of the only shithole in the Middle East, the story of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, who was kidnapped by the IDF one year ago and has been since held in Israeli concentration camp would have been a front-page story.
Daniel Pearl and Etan Alexander were taken captives in Afghanistan (2002) and Gaza (2023) respectively. Their names became household names. Their stories were televised by US media and their pictures were front page stories. Sadly, Pearl did not make it, but Alexander was freed and came back home. Reason? There were both Jewish.
Israeli occupation forces detained Dr. Abu Safia on December 27 after they forcibly vacated the Kamal Adwan Hospital during a military operation in northern Gaza.
Dr. Abu Safiya is currently held in Ofer Prison, which is located near Ramallah in Israel. He was previously detained in notorious Sde Teiman military detention camp before being transferred to Ofer Prison, as reported by the Middle East Monitor.
Most recently, Dr. Abu Safiya posed to his lawyer from inside the occupation prisons... A heart-wrenching question that cries out to the conscience of the world. "Does anyone still remember me?!"
Dr. Hussam – a man of humanity, a mountain of courage, a field doctor, and an icon of steadfastness. He refused to leave Kamal Adwan Hospital despite the bombing and targeting, remaining for over 70 days alongside his patients and the wounded, appealing to the world daily… but to no avail. This doctor He lost his son, buried him in the hospital courtyard, then returned to continue his noble mission. Despite holding foreign citizenship, he refused to leave Gaza. He was tortured and brutally abused in Israels' prisons. Dr. Abu Safia is a man in a time when men are scarce!
After completing his education, Abu Safiya moved to Kazakhstan. He studied medicine at Ahmet Yassawi University in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. While there, he met and married a Kazakh woman, Elbina. After graduating from university, Abu Safiya and his wife returned to Gaza in 1996, settling in Jabalia. Dr. Abu Safiya has plenty of opportunities to leave Gaza with his family during the war but this man is a leader with an iron spine.
Dr. Abu Safiya's lawyer warns: His heart is broken and his body shattered from constant torture and the freezing temperatures in his cell are exacerbating his suffering. Between cold walls, the doctor who saved hundreds of children and wounded people is left without enough food or warmth, and his health is deteriorating day by day. His life is in imminent danger.
Every delay in saving him could be the moment he loses his life. Every moment of silence is complicity in his suffering. Recently, Zahir Ibrahim, the father of Mohammad Ibrahim, the Palestinian American who was recently released in Israel after 9 months of captivity said, “In the end, it was the American pressure that released Mohammed.” So, speak out about Dr. Abu Safiya... Spread his name... Don't let the voice of the doctor who saved lives be silenced. Let's keep the pressure on our news outlets to free Dr. Hussam Abu Safia. Numbers do count and make a difference and play a crucial role in people's daily lives by influencing their decisions.
This is the least we can do and we’ll keep doing it. But it is nevertheless a terrifying thought that there are more than 10,000 Palestinians like Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya who are unknown to us but are still being abducted, arbitrarily detained, and tortured by Israel.
A final appeal to all concerned
Call the embassy of Israel in Washington D.C. at (202) 364-5500 or the Israeli embassy in your respective country and urge them to either charge Dr. Hussam or free him immediately.
Remember, the Israeli Occupation Army showed him no mercy: they besieged him, beat him, stripped him of his clothes, and unjustly and forcibly arrested him. And today, he asks us all: "Does anyone still remember me?" Dr. Abu Safiya is currently living in tragic conditions inside the occupation prisons. He is suffering from a severe health deterioration, having lost about two-thirds of his weight in addition to chronic skin diseases resulting from lack of sun exposure, bathing, and medication.
If you have time to make a second call, please call or write your Representative or the editor of your hometown newspaper and tell them, "I will not be silent, I will not be quiet, and I will not give up on his voice," and it is a disgrace to those who ignored Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
Mahmoud El-Youseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com
