Abu Safiya appeared before the court from inside his cell, via video call, where he said: My arrest is unjust and arbitrary, and I demand my immediate release.
This was reported by his defense lawyer, Nasser Abu Awda, on Wednesday, in a video statement following the end of the trial session, as he stated that the court decided to "postpone the decision on continuing Abu Safiya's detention for a few hours or days."
Abu Awda added that the prisoner Abu Safiya said: “I am a pediatrician who provides medical services and care to the sick, injured, and vulnerable in the Gaza Strip.”
He continued: "I performed my duties in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards, and my arrest is unjust and arbitrary."
Abu Safiya also asked the court to release him immediately, saying: "My arrest is unjust and arbitrary, and I demand that the court release me immediately."
The lawyer explained: "Accordingly, we asked the court to make a decision that may be given within the next few hours or days."
This marks Abu Safiya's first public appearance since February 2025, when Israeli media broadcast a video of him handcuffed inside prison following his arrest, which at the time sparked widespread criticism from human rights organizations and activists.
On December 27, 2024, the Israeli army arrested Abu Safiya during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where he served as the hospital's director, amidst Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Israel continues to detain Abu Safiya despite his repeated denials of engaging in any activity outside his medical profession, amid Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights demands for his immediate release.
Around 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, are held in Israeli prisons, suffering from starvation, torture, and medical neglect, which has led to the deaths of dozens of them, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.
On October 8, 2023, Israel, with American support, began a two-year war of genocide in Gaza, leaving approximately 73,000 martyrs and more than 173,000 wounded Palestinians, most of them children and women, and causing destruction to 90% of the infrastructure.
