Israel has refused to release two prominent Palestinian doctors — including the pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya — as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, a report says.
A Hamas official told CNN on Friday that “the occupation refused to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya,” who was kidnapped during an Israeli raid that closed the last major functioning health facility in northern Gaza in December 2024. Abu Safiya served as the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.
Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza, was also excluded from the deal, the official said.
Under the agreement reached on Wednesday, Hamas is set to release 48 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. In exchange, Israel must free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.
