The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Biden administration to take immediate action after Israel reportedly “disappeared” Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a top Palestinian physician serving victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Over the weekend, CAIR called on the Biden administration to demand the release of Dr. Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, who was kidnapped by Israeli forces and is reportedly being held in a detention center notorious for torturing prisoners. An iconic photo of the doctor confronting Israeli tanks prior to his kidnapping is circulating online. Israel later burned Kamal Adwan Hospital.
[NOTE: Today, Israel ordered patients and staff at northern Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital and al-Awda Hospital to evacuate, despite the fact that many patients cannot walk. Israel has slaughtered dozens of Palestinians, including many women and children, in just the past 24 hours. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said today: “Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are treated, provided they are not military objectives, is a war crime.”]
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) now says it received an Israeli response a request for information on Dr. Abu Safiya claiming that it had “found no indication of the arrest or detention of the individual in question.”
SEE: Israeli government pressed to reveal location of detained Gaza hospital director – CNN
SEE ALSO: Dr. Abu Safiya Detained by Israel – Grave Concerns over Torture, Health
There has been an internation outcry demanding Dr. Abu Safiya’s release.
In a statement, CAIR said:
“The Biden administration, which is a full partner in Israel’s genocide, must act to secure the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and to end the far-right Israeli government’s systematic assault on hospitals and medical personnel in Gaza. Israeli attacks on medical facilities, its daily slaughter of Palestinian civilians and its forced starvation of an entire population are clearly part of the overall genocidal campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
Earlier this week, CAIR said a new U.N. Human Rights Office report condemning Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza and concluding that Israel has “destroyed” local healthcare is further evidence of genocide.
Also this week, CAIR demanded that the American Medical Association (AMA) call for the release of Dr. Abu Safiya.
TAKE ACTION: Demand AMA Call for the Release of Gaza Hospital Director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya
Euro-Med Monitor reported that survivors of the Israeli attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital said Israeli troops carried out “deliberate killings, field executions, as well as sexual and physical assaults on women and girls” in and near the medical facility.
CAIR recently reiterated its call for the American Medical Association (AMA) to condemn Israel’s attacks on medical facilities in Gaza as three hospitals in devastated northern Gaza are under siege or face forced evacuation.
SEE: CAIR Reiterates Call for AMA to Condemn Israeli Siege, Forced Evacuation of 3 Gaza Hospitals
Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinian health care workers and destroyed most of the medical infrastructure in Gaza. To date, CAIR has not received any reply to its letter to the AMA despite sending copies to all board members.
CAIR has repeatedly condemned Israel’s targeted attacks on hospitals and its killing, kidnapping and abuse of medical staff and patients.
Yesterday, CAIR condemned the world’s “silence” over the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Gaza by the far-right government of indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu as a new report indicates that Gaza’s population decreased by six percent since Israel’s invasion.
Multiple human rights organizations and international bodies have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for committing war crimes.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com