More UK members of parliament and human rights groups are urging the British government to use its leverage over Israel to secure the release of detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya , with campaigners telling The New Arab that London's inaction is enabling abuses against Palestinian detainees.
Rights advocates say the UK must move beyond simply raising Abu Safiya's case with Israeli authorities and instead use diplomatic and economic pressure, as reports indicate his health has rapidly deteriorated in detention.
Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was forcibly detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 and has been held without charge since under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law.
His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said the doctor has been tortured, is being held in solitary confinement and has sustained visible injuries while in custody. He also said Abu Safiya is so weak he struggles to sit upright and has suffered repeated beatings that have left him unconscious. 'This cannot continue' Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), told The New Arab that Britain must do far more to hold Israel accountable for repeated violations of international law.
"The continued detention without trial, and in such appalling conditions of reported torture, of Dr Abu Safiya mean it is just another issue that brings into sharp focus that international actors, including Britain, must hold Israel to account," he said.
"That has to change. This cannot be allowed to continue. Not least because Israeli leaders have deliberately targeted the Palestinian healthcare system, whether by bombing hospitals and clinics, attacking doctors and healthcare workers, or preventing vital aid from entering Gaza."
Inès Osman, executive director of MENA Rights Group, told The New Arab that statements alone were no longer sufficient.
"Mere confirmations that Dr Abu Safiya's case has been 'raised' with Israeli authorities are far from enough," Osman said.
"The UK is not a bystander here. As one of Israel's closest allies, it has real leverage at its disposal, including arms suspension, sanctions and trade, and has consistently chosen not to use it. That inaction has a cost, and Dr Abu Safiya and thousands of other Palestinian detainees are the ones paying it."
Osman said that while Britain was under no legal obligation to secure Abu Safiya's release, it had a clear political and moral responsibility to act.
"The UK constantly presents itself as a champion of human rights and the rules-based international order. If that means anything, it has to apply to its allies too, including Israel," she said.
"We're calling on the UK to use the diplomatic tools at its disposal, starting with its relationship with Israel and its voice at the UN, to press for his immediate release," she added. MPs call for action The calls from rights groups have been echoed by a growing number of MPs, many from the Labour Party, who have urged Keir Starmer's government to intervene.
Labour MP Nadia Whittome called for Abu Safiya's immediate release after sharing reports of his deteriorating condition.
"He has reported suffering daily beatings, sometimes resulting in loss of consciousness, and has new, severe injuries to his head, neck, ears and eye area. He is so weak that he struggles to sit upright without falling," she wrote on X.
"The UK government must demand Dr Hussam Abu Safiya's immediate release and for him to receive urgent medical treatment," she added.
Labour MP Richard Burgon also highlighted Abu Safiya's case, saying the doctor had suffered "new head, eye and neck injuries" while in Israeli custody.
"I call on our Foreign Secretary to demand Israel provides urgent treatment and releases him," Burgon wrote.
Fellow Labour MPs Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana also called on the government to intervene, citing reports that Abu Safiya had been "beaten, starved and denied medical care".
"Silence is complicity. Yvette Cooper must demand his immediate release and urgent medical treatment NOW," Sultana wrote.
"The UK must demand that Israel release him, now," Begum added.
John McDonnell said he had raised Abu Safiya's detention in Parliament this week and contacted a government minister to urge "urgent intervention" on the doctor's behalf.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also said he was "gravely concerned" by reports of Abu Safiya's worsening condition.
"We reiterate our demands for his release, along with all other doctors being held without charge," he wrote.
The renewed calls come after the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled this week that Abu Safiya's detention is unlawful, marking the first time a UN body has ruled on the detention of a Palestinian held under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law.
The working group found his detention unlawful on three grounds - it lacked a legal basis, violated his right to a fair trial, and amounted to discrimination.