Story perspectives

UN calls Israel’s doctor detention arbitrary, court denies release

7/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s confinement arbitrary and warned it may signal systematic detentions in Israel.
His lawyer Nasser Odeh reported that he has deteriorated severely because of daily abuse, solitary confinement, and head injuries since his detention began in December 2024.
The Supreme Court rejected a petition for his release, citing confidential material under the unlawful combatants law that permits indefinite detention.

History

Historical Context

In July 1942 the U.S. Supreme Court, sitting as the Stone Court, upheld President Roosevelt’s authority to try eight German saboteurs from Operation Pastorius before a military commission in Ex vivo Quirin. The ruling created a wartime precedent for detaining “unlawful combatants,” a rationale the Israeli Supreme Court invoked to deny Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s release.

1 of 2

Story summary

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s confinement arbitrary and warned it may signal systematic detentions in Israel.
His lawyer Nasser Odeh reported that he has deteriorated severely because of daily abuse, solitary confinement, and head injuries since his detention began in December 2024.
The Supreme Court rejected a petition for his release, citing confidential material under the unlawful combatants law that permits indefinite detention.

1 / 2