US ‘gathering information’ on detention of Gaza hospital director: State Department

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US is “aware of reports and still gathering information” about the Israeli detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, said the State Department on Monday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Israeli forces arrested Abu Safiya in northern Gaza, and other staff on Saturday, one day after Israeli troops set fire to the area’s only major health care facility. CNN has reported, citing recently released Palestinian prisoners, that Abu Safiya is being held at the Sde Teiman detention center in Israel’s Negev desert near the Gaza border, which has gained notoriety due to its extreme abuse of detainees.

“We are aware of reports and still gathering information,” a State Department spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu when asked about Abu Safiya’s detention.

“As we have said before, we do not want to see firefights in hospitals where innocent people and patients receiving medical care are caught in the crossfire, and we have had active consultations with the Israeli Defense Forces on this,” said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson reiterated the US call for all parties in the conflict to respect the protected status of medical facilities and avoid harm to civilians receiving treatment, as well as to humanitarian workers.

The US remains “deeply concerned with the scale of civilian casualties in this conflict”, the spokesperson said, adding: “We have consistently urged Israel at the highest levels that they must do significantly more to ensure the protection of civilians, and that they must investigate credible allegations of violations whenever they arise.”

The spokesperson also accused Hamas of using hospitals, schools and other civilian facilities for “military purposes”.

“That puts innocent civilians in the crossfire. That creates an added burden for Israel, but it does not lessen Israel’s responsibility under international humanitarian law, to distinguish between terrorists and civilians, and to protect the lives of innocent people, and that is the overwhelming majority of the people in Gaza,” the spokesperson added.

Israel has not publicly commented on the detention of Abu Safiya or his reported transfer to the Sde Teiman facility.

Dr. Abu Safiya’s arrest came after an Israeli military offensive targeting the Kamal Adwan Hospital and its surroundings.

Israeli troops forcibly evacuated patients and medical personnel from the hospital on Friday, and detained several others before setting fire to its sections, rendering it completely inoperable, according to a ministry statement.

Israel has killed more than 45,400 people in Gaza since October 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.