The court directed the state to respond within two days to a petition filed in April by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), which seeks the release of 14 Palestinian doctors held without charge and raises specific concerns about Abu Safiya’s physical and psychological condition.

Elias Abu Safiya, the doctor’s son, said the family hoped the court order would compel Israeli authorities to provide official information about his father’s condition after more than 18 months in detention.

Speaking to Arab News from Kazakhstan, Elias Abu Safiya said the family wanted clear confirmation that his father was alive and safe. He said they remained deeply concerned after receiving reports from the family’s lawyer describing a significant deterioration in the doctor’s health.

According to attorney Nasser Odeh, who visited Abu Safiya on Thursday, the pediatrician and former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital had been held in prolonged solitary confinement and repeatedly assaulted while in custody. Odeh alleged that his client had suffered severe injuries, struggled to remain conscious during the meeting and had been denied adequate food, water and medical care.

PHRI said the lawyer’s account indicated that Abu Safiya’s life was in imminent danger and urged immediate judicial and medical intervention. The rights group submitted its petition to the Supreme Court on April 30, but proceedings were delayed several times after the state sought extensions before the court ordered a response by Tuesday.

Abu Safiya has been held by Israeli authorities since Dec. 27, 2024, after refusing military evacuation orders at Kamal Adwan Hospital, then the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza.

He is being detained under Israel’s Unlawful Enemy Combatants Law, which allows prolonged detention without formal criminal charges or the public presentation of evidence for renewable six-month periods.

After a district court in Be’er Sheva extended his detention on April 28, Abu Safiya appealed to the Supreme Court. The appeal was rejected last month while he remained in solitary confinement.

According to Odeh, Abu Safiya told him he had been beaten daily after being transferred to the Rakefet interrogation facility at Nitzan Prison on June 24 and had repeatedly lost consciousness without receiving appropriate medical treatment.

Israeli authorities have accused Abu Safiya of involvement in terrorist activities and of holding a position within Hamas that made Kamal Adwan Hospital a militant stronghold during the war. His family and lawyer have denied those allegations.

The doctor’s detention has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations, United Nations bodies and medical professionals, who have called for his release and expressed concern over reports of his treatment while in custody.

Elias Abu Safiya appealed to the international community to intervene urgently, saying he hoped efforts would help safeguard his father’s life and improve conditions for other Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.

The Israeli government had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication, with the Supreme Court’s deadline for its submission due on Tuesday.