New York, July 08 (QNA) - The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said Wednesday that it is deeply concerned over reliable reports about persistent and severe inhumane acts against Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Safiya has been subjected to these acts by the Israeli occupation authorities since his detention in December 2024, the reports noted.
In a statement, the Commission called for the immediate and unconditional release of Abu Safiya and all other Palestinian medical personnel who were arbitrarily detained by Israel. It also demanded that the Israeli authorities provide independent and urgent medical care to him.
As such, the Commission stressed that detaining Palestinian medical practitioners for prolonged periods unlawfully and subjecting them to severe inhumane acts amount to a dangerous and flagrant violation of international law.
Israeli prison guards' conduct toward Palestinian detainees raises serious concerns over potential violations of international law that could amount to international crimes, the panel said.
It added that Abu Safiya's health situation is a corollary of these acts, confirming that people who are bereft of freedom are not protected from killing, torture, as well as maltreatment and sexual violence.
The Panel further noted that what has been tipped off about this maltreatment on the part of the Israeli authorities demonstrates a broader pattern of abuses that had previously been documented in its reports.
The previous reports settled on the fact that the Israeli security forces killed, wounded, detained, and mistreated those operating in the medical field on purpose, the Commission clarified.
It further highlighted that these acts constitute war crimes when it comes to murder and torture and tantamount to genocide, emphasizing that the military operations against those medical practitioners had been part of a methodical policy to decimate the healthcare system in Gaza.
آ  The Commission further concluded that Israeli authorities committed genocide through a policy of targeting the healthcare system and medical professionals in Gaza since October 2023.
It noted that this deliberately deprived Palestinians of access to essential medical care, and as such, killed many and inflicted irreversible harm that prevented their ability to recover, heal, and live.
The panel asserted that it would work to ensure legal accountability, including identifying individual criminal responsibility and leaders' responsibility, adding that it would move ahead to investigate the alleged abuses based on international law to find out those perpetrators and share information with the competent judicial entities. (QNA)