Israel blocks release of two prominent Palestinian doctors as part of Gaza ceasefire

Israel has refused to release two prominent Palestinian doctors — including the pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya — as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, a report says.

A Hamas official told CNN on Friday that “the occupation refused to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya,” who was kidnapped during an Israeli raid that closed the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza in December 2024. Abu Safiya served as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.

Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza, was also excluded from the deal, the official said.

Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, Hamas is set to release 48 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. In exchange, Israel must free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.

According to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), Dr. Abu Safiya has faced starvation, physical abuse, and invasive searches while in detention. The group said he has not been charged, interrogated, or brought before a judge since March.

The group condemned the Palestinian doctor's continued detention, saying it exemplifies “the systemic targeting of medical professionals and health institutions in Gaza.”

Last month, Abu Safiya’s attorney Ghaid Qasem told Palestinian media that the doctor was being “abandoned to disease and hunger” in Israel’s detention center, Sde Teiman, which is known for brutality and torture.

Qasem warned at the time that Abu Safiya’s condition was rapidly deteriorating under deliberate neglect. She said that her client suffers from severe chest pain, irregular heartbeat, and high blood pressure, but has never been examined by a cardiologist since his arrest.

Dr. Al-Hams's whereabouts also remain unknown since he was abducted in July by an undercover Israeli force operating in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has called for his immediate release, describing Al-Hams's detention as “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Both doctors were among hundreds of medical workers detained during Israel’s two-year campaign of genocide in Gaza. The war has devastated the territory's health system and left most hospitals non-operational.

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The exclusion of the doctors from the ceasefire deal has drawn outrage from Palestinian officials and human rights organizations, who condemn Israel for weaponizing medical personnel in its war against Gaza’s health sector.

Analysts say the exclusion of key Palestinian prisoners — particularly doctors vital to Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system — combined with ongoing restrictions and violence, reflects Israel’s disregard for Palestinian life and undermines efforts toward lasting peace.

Hamas also warned that Israel's refusal to release medical personnel undermines the humanitarian purpose of the deal.

Several other prominent Palestinian figures, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and Hamas leader Hassan Salameh, remain excluded from the release list.

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