A group of prominent German Bundestag members representing the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Left Party is advocating for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor who previously directed the Kamal-Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Dr. Abu Safiya has been held in Israeli custody since the end of 2024 without any charges being brought against him.
The politicians issued an appeal via a letter, which the publication Spiegel reported on, addressed to Israeli President Isaac Herzog. In the appeal, the members called upon the authorities to “immediately take necessary humanitarian and rule-of-law measures to protect the life and health of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and other detained doctors.”
The letter was initiated by SPD parliamentary group spokesperson Adis Ahmetovic and foreign policy expert Isabel Cademartori. Among the 48 individuals who signed the appeal were key political figures such as SPD party group chair Matthias Miersch, deputy chair Siemtje Möller, and Ralf Stegner, along with former SPD group chair Rolf Mützenich. Representatives from the Left Party included new co-party chair Luigi Pantisano, Gregor Gysi, and Jan van Aken, while Greens co-federal chair Franziska Brantner and former Culture Minister Claudia Roth were also signatories. Although the initiators had also sought support from members of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, none of them signed the correspondence addressed to the Israeli President.
