Photo credit: The Guardian
Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday gave the government until Tuesday to respond to a petition demanding the release of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza held without charge or trial, according to the Israel-based Physicians for Human Rights organization. The court ordered officials to address the detention of the medical personnel after the government repeatedly sought extensions since the petition was filed on April 30.
Yeni Safak reports that the petition specifically targets the case of Dr Husam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, whose legal team says has sustained repeated physical assaults and faces critical health risks while in custody. Physicians for Human Rights has requested that a judge, cardiologist and legal team be permitted to visit Abu Safiya at the detention facility to assess his medical state.
Nasser Awdeh, who represents the detained physician, said his client has sustained serious injuries from repeated physical assaults and that his health is rapidly deteriorating. The organization noted that the petition represents urgent legal intervention to prevent further deterioration of conditions for the detained physicians, who have been held without formal charges.
The court’s Tuesday deadline marks the final opportunity for the government to justify the detentions before the judges rule on the release petition. Physicians for Human Rights filed the legal challenge on April 30 as part of broader efforts to secure the release of medical workers held without trial since their detention from the Gaza Strip.
