To: The Hon. Senator Penny Wong

Position: Minister for Foreign Affairs

Address: PO Box 6100, Senate, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600

Email: senator.wong@aph.gov.au AND foreign.minister@dfat.gov.au

6 July 2026

Subject: Life-threatening detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya – Demand for immediate intervention

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you as concerned citizens to urgently request that the Australian Government break its silence and demand the immediate, unconditional release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian paediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

Dr Abu Safiya has been held by Israeli authorities since 27 December 2024 under the “Unlawful Combatants” Law, which permits indefinite detention without charge or trial. For over 550 days, no formal charges have ever been brought against him. Israeli authorities have justified his detention by asserting he holds a rank within Hamas’s Military Medical Services, citing a resurfaced 2016 photograph; Dr Abu Safiya and rights groups dispute this characterisation, noting that no evidence has been tested in any charge or independent proceeding, and that a medical corps rank, even if accurate, would not strip him of his protected status as a civilian medical worker under international humanitarian law.

The situation has now reached a critical breaking point. On 2 July 2026, his lawyer, Attorney Nasser Odeh, was granted a legal visit at the Rakefet underground interrogation facility inside Nitzan Prison. According to a sworn account circulated by Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI), Dr Abu Safiya is barely recognisable and his life is in imminent danger. He has sustained fresh, severe injuries to his head, eyes, ears, and neck from reported beatings with hammers and batons, is suffering from multiple untreated losses of consciousness, and is struggling to breathe. His lawyer fears he will not survive without immediate intervention.

While the Australian Government frequently cites its commitment to a rules-based international order, its ongoing diplomatic silence regarding the systemic detention and abuse of Palestinian healthcare workers constitutes a failure of its international obligations.

As a state party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, Australia is legally bound under Common Article 1 not only to respect the conventions, but to ensure respect for them by other states in all circumstances. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, medical personnel must be protected from targeting, arbitrary detention, and harm. Furthermore, the absolute prohibition against torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is a non-derogable norm of international law. By failing to publicly challenge the administrative detention and reported torture of Dr Abu Safiya, Australia is falling short of its duty to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. Allies must hold allies accountable.

As a key ally with regional and diplomatic leverage, Australia has a clear responsibility to act. I urge you to:

1. Publicly and diplomatically call on the Israeli government for the immediate release of Dr Abu Safiya and all arbitrarily detained healthcare workers.
2. Demand that an independent medical examination by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or independent medical experts be granted immediate, unhindered access to Dr Abu Safiya.

When a state holds an individual in custody, it bears full responsibility for their safety, health, and life. Time is completely of the essence for Dr Abu Safiya. I urge you to use your position to speak up and act before it is too late.

Sincerely,

TIP

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