On January 31, 2026, the New York Post published an article, “Gaza ‘doctor’ who slammed Israel in NY Times op-eds is Hamas colonel, seen in military uniform: watchdog, IDF.” The piece was written on the basis of a photo posted in 2016 by the Gaza Military Medical Services (MMS) and uncovered by NGO Monitor, showing Dr. Hussam abu Safiya  wearing a military uniform inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital, where he worked. The photo aligns with a 2024 analysis posted on X/Twitter by researcher Eitan Fischberger, which revealed that multiple Gazan sources referred to Abu Safya as a “colonel.” 

In response to the Post publication and widespread coverage, Hamas leader Basem Naim, Al Jazeera, and anti-Israel influencers attempted to push back on the claim of links between Abu Safiya and Hamas.

Context of the Photo

The picture of Dr. Hussam abu Safiya in military uniform was posted by the Gaza Military Medical Services (MMS), a body controlled by the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security (MoINS). It was taken during a ceremony in the MMS-affiliated Kamal Adwan medical complex, to mark the opening of an extension of the hospital. The event featured MMS, MoINS, and hospital employees in uniform, including Abu Safiya. 

It also included Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout, who at the time was the director of the hospital; he was later arrested by Israel in December 2023 and admitted that “Hamas has turned hospitals into military facilities under their control.” 

Abu Safiya worked at Kamal Adwan Hospital for more than a decade and served as the director following al-Kahlout’s arrest until his own arrest by Israel in December 2024.

MMS and Kamal Adwan Hospital

The Kamal Adwan medical complex is one of three Gaza-based hospitals affiliated with MMS (out of approximately 30 hospitals in Gaza). MMS-affiliated hospitals provide medical care to members of the Hamas-controlled security forces and their families, as well as to civilians.

In addition to the Military Medical Services, MoINS commands Gaza’s police force and other interior security forces that are responsible for surveillance, counter-espionage, political dissent, civil defense, border crossings, enforcement of Islamic law, and handling of prisoners in Gaza. After seizing control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas assigned the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades to oversee the security forces under MoINS.

As reported by the Times of Israel, MMS members “directly participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught of southern Israel.”

In 2023, following the first IDF raid on Kamal Adwan hospital, former Kamal Adwan hospital director, Ahmed al-Kahlout, admitted during an investigation by the Israel Security Agency that he is a member of Hamas. He stated that Hamas had turned hospitals into military facilities under their control: “I was recruited to Hamas in 2010 with the rank of Brigadier General…,” he told them. “There are employees in the hospital who are military operatives of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – doctors, nurses, paramedics, clerks, and staff members.” Abu Safiya also confirmed to the press in 2025 that Hamas operated in the hospital and that Israeli hostages had been held captive in the medical complex.  

Hussam Abu Safiya a “Senior Hamas Figure”

Before his arrest, Abu Safiya wrote op-eds in the New York Times that promoted propaganda against Israel, including the accusation of genocide. At the time of his arrest, Abu Safiya reportedly told the IDF officers: “You won’t arrest me. I am known around the world and everyone knows me. I am a symbol.”

Abu Safiya was arrested by the Israeli army in December 2024 following a second IDF raid on Kamal Adwan hospital; the IDF asserted that the facility served as “a command center” for terrorists’ “military operations” in Jabaliya. Military intelligence officers reportedly described Abu Safiya as a “senior Hamas figure.” As stated by an IDF field interrogator, “during the [raid of the hospital], over 240 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists and other operatives suspected of terror activities were apprehended . . . . and they all shouted the director’s [Abu Safiya’s] name at me and asked that he come see them and help them. We realized that the person at the very heart of [what was happening], the one organizing the terror and Hamas activity within the compound, was the hospital director himself.” 

Following Abu Safiya’s arrest, Amnesty International and Al Jazeera led an international campaign calling for his release. Amnesty called him “a prominent voice of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector” and the “voice” of those remaining in northern Gaza.

Abu Safiya’s Hamas Uniform – Pushback Following the New York Post Article

Drop Site News on X, February 1, 2026

The latest propaganda campaign targeting Palestinian detainee Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya reflects the long-standing Israeli strategy of misrepresenting Palestinian civil institutions, deliberately collapsing the distinction between civilian government workers and resistance fighters in order to legitimize the mass abduction, torture, and killing of Gaza’s civil servants. 

The New York Post falsely claimed that Dr. Abu Safiya is a “Hamas colonel.” In reality, he served in the Military Medical Services, a government medical body responsible for providing healthcare to police and security personnel, functionally equivalent to a state medical corps rather than a partisan armed group. The article itself inadvertently admits this, writing that “Safiya’s photo appeared on the Gaza Medical Services’ Facebook page — a group overseen by the Hamas-run health ministry,” an admission that Abu Safiya belonged to a government health institution, not an armed faction. 

Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official and former Palestinian minister of health, himself a physician with a degree in medicine from Germany, explained that Kamal Adwan Hospital operates through cooperation between the Ministries of Health and Interior, “a model consistent with international norms in public service provision.” In comments to Drop Site News, he further clarified that Hamas and the Qassam Brigades do not use ranks such as “colonel,” emphasizing that the rank cited belongs to the Palestinian government’s medical corps, not Hamas’s military wing. Naim also stated that the uniform described as “Hamas camo” in the NY Post article has no affiliation with any resistance faction. 

Hamas leader Basem Naim to Drop Site News, quoted on X, February 1, 2026

“In my capacity as a former Minister of Health in Palestine, I wish to clarify that the accusations directed at Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya are based on unverified images of unknown provenance and cannot be considered reliable evidence.

Dr. Abu Safiya was employed as a pediatric physician at Kamal Adwan Hospital, which functions under a recognized partnership between the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health to ensure comprehensive healthcare delivery. Therefore, neither his employment nor his professional attire, if accurately depicted, implies any affiliation with military entities. This model of inter-ministerial cooperation is consistent with international norms in public service provision.”

Etan Nechin (New York Correspondent for Haaretz)  on X, February 1, 2026

This is not a Hamas uniform and he is not an “operative” or a “colonel.” It is a national security uniform that includes medical corps and first responders, totally separate from the military wing. If he is such a mastermind, why has Israel not charged him?

Suppressed News (based in Egypt) on X, February 1, 2026

I can’t believe I need to do this but lets [sic] talk about the false claim of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya “being Hamas”. 

1- False Claim: He is a Colonel in Hamas. 

Hamas is not a conventional army and does not operate standardized military ranks like “Colonel.” The allegation stems from a mistranslation of the Arabic word “نقيب,” which in this context refers to a professional syndicate title, not a military rank. 

This error was promoted by Israeli commentator Eiten Fichberger, who stripped the term of its context and incorrectly linked it to Hamas. Even if the individual is affiliated with Palestinian Military Medical Services, medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law and are not combatants unless they directly participate in hostilities. No such evidence exists. This claim relies on mistranslation, category error, and narrative inflation, not fact or law. 

2- False Claim: Doctor Hussam is a Hamas member. 

The claim that Dr. Hussam is a Hamas member is false. The image circulated by the New York Post shows a graduation ceremony for Palestinian Military Medical Services, not proof of Hamas affiliation. 

The shoulder patch visible is the Eagle of Saladin, a secular national symbol deliberately avoided by Hamas, which uses distinct religious insignia. 

Military medical personnel are typically non-combat medical staff, and under international humanitarian law they are protected persons unless they directly participate in hostilities. No such evidence exists here. 

Al Jazeera English on X, February 5, 2026 (from the video transcript)

Claim One: Dr. Abu Safiya was a member of Hamas. This claim is false. The Israeli military said this after his arrest in 2024, and it was repeated in the New York Post article published on January 31st. It included a photo from 2016 showing Abu Safiya at a meeting of doctors, many of whom are wearing military-style uniforms, including him.

But Kamal Adwan Hospital, of which Abu Safiya is the director, is part of the Palestinian Directorate of General Military Medical Services. It’s a government organization that provides medical care to Palestinian police and security officers, as well as civilians. The Directorate also operates in the occupied West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, and its medical staff are often seen wearing similar uniforms. Abu Safiya’s uniform only signifies his employment by this directorate—the military medical services—and in no way indicates membership in Hamas.

Claim Two: Hamas and other fighters used Kamal Adwan Hospital as a base. This claim lacks evidence. The allegation has previously been made by the Israeli military without proof; nonetheless, it was repeated by the New York Post. After it raided and closed Kamal Adwan Hospital in December 2024, the Israeli military published photos of detained men it said were fighters but failed to provide evidence of this.

The claim does, however, fit a larger pattern in Gaza of Israel saying that health facilities were used by fighters in order to justify attacking them. Even the article that was published by the Post acknowledges Abu Safiya was not accused by Israel of participating in any specific terrorist acts. It also mentions that he was not charged with any crime even though he remains in an Israeli prison.

Claim Three: Abu Safiya lied about what was happening at the hospital that he ran. This claim is also false. Abu Safiya regularly spoke to international media and wrote an article about the repeated Israeli attacks against Kamal Adwan Hospital that was published in the New York Times. Abu Safiya’s accounts have been supported by a number of Israeli and international organizations, including the United Nations, which has referred to what’s happening in Gaza as “meticide”—meaning a relentless attack on medical facilities and healthcare workers. And those are the facts.

Counterarguments

Gnasherjew (OSINT investigative team) on X, February 2, 2026

There is a concerted effort by “human rights” NGOs and anti-Israel propaganda outlets to downplay Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s ties to Hamas, as he is the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Here are some facts that seem to be deliberately ignored: The Kamal Adwan Medical Complex is affiliated with the General Directorate of Military Medical Services (MMS), an official branch of the Hamas-led Ministry of Interior and National Security. MMS oversees medical policy, planning, logistics, and training for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. While it primarily provides healthcare to “security forces” and their families, it also serves civilian populations in specific areas of Gaza. Reports indicate that MMS members have been involved in “military operations.” Hussam Abu Safiya (حسام أبو صفية) is referred to as a colonel in Arabic media and was photographed in military uniform at a 2016 MMS ceremony honoring staff for their roles in establishing the Kamal Adwan Medical Complex. The ceremony was attended by Major General Abu Obaida Al-Jarrah (أبو عبيدة الجراح), Deputy Commander of the National Security Forces and the Liberation Army; Brigadier General Dr. Saeed Al-Saoudi (سعيد السعودي), Director General of the Military Medical Services Directorate; Brigadier General Naeem Al-Ghoul (نعيم الغول), Commander of the National Security Forces; and other high-ranking officials.

Joe Truzman (Senior Research Analyst at FDD) on X, February 2, 2026

There is evidence that Husam Abu Safiya is connected to Hamas. Besides holding a military rank, there is evidence of ties to senior Hamas leadership. His colleagues are connected too. For example, Ahmed al-Kahlout, pictured below in the uncropped photo, is also Hamas, and was captured by Israel during the war. While these doctors may have not been front line fighters, there is evidence that there are ties to Hamas.

Adin Haykin on X, February 1, 2026 (responding to Eitan Nechin’s tweet and demonstrating that National Security Forces are controlled by Hamas)

Campaign Before the New York Post Article

  • A September 2025 Al Jazeera half-hour report, “The Disappearance of Dr. Abu Safiya.” In addition, Al Jazeera published several articles on Abu Safiya (here, here, here, here, here).  
  • A February 2025 Guardian article, “‘No rules’: Gaza’s doctors say they were tortured, beaten and humiliated in Israeli detention,” claims that “In December, the Israeli authorities faced international condemnation for the arrest of paediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, who was last seen in Israeli drone footage in his white coat walking through the rubble of his hospital towards a line of Israeli tanks. His family say he was held in the notorious Sde Teiman detention camp. The Israeli authorities say they suspect him of being a Hamas militant. A lawyer representing Abu Safiya was last week allowed to visit the doctor in Ofer prison for the first time and said Abu Safiya had been tortured, beaten and denied medical treatment. ‘We are deeply worried about his fate as he was already injured [when he was detained],’ says his son Elyas Abu Safiya, who has been campaigning for his release. ‘We are living in a state of shock.’”
  • Amnesty International’s ongoing petition to release Abu Safiya:  “Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital and a prominent voice of Gaza’s decimated healthcare sector, is still being arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities since his arrest on 27 December. A lawyer who visited him and other detainees, recently reported that he has been subjected to abuse and other ill-treatment. Join us in demanding his immediate and unconditional release.”
  • Amnesty International letter (December 2024), “Release Paediatrician and Hospital Director: Dr Hussam Abu Safiya,” to Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir Military Advocate General. Amnesty refers to Abu Safiya as the “voice” of those who remain in northern Gaza, and states that “Abu Safiya and his colleagues provided human rights and humanitarian organizations with reliable information about the health situation.”

IDF Statement on Adwan Hospital and Hamas 

Excerpt from December 27, 2024 IDF Press Release: “The IDF and ISA Completed a Targeted Operation Against a Hamas Command Center in the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabaliya”

IDF and ISA intelligence identified that terrorists were once again using the Kamal Adwan Hospital as a command center for its military operations in Jabaliya. Following this intelligence, the IDF conducted and completed a targeted operation against the Hamas terror stronghold inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital….

At the beginning of the targeted operation, the 401st Brigade encircled the Kamal Adwan Hospital and apprehended terrorists who were hiding in the area and eliminated additional terrorists. Shayetet 13 special forces conducted precise activities inside the hospital and located and confiscated weapons in the area, including grenades, guns, munitions, and military equipment.

During IDF operations next to the hospital, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and RPGs at the troops and attempted to carry out additional attacks against the troops. The troops swiftly eliminated the terrorists. In addition, the IAF conducted strikes that eliminated terrorists attempting to flee the area. 

During the operation in the area, over 240 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists and other operatives suspected of terror activities were apprehended, some of whom attempted to pose as patients or flee using ambulances.

Among the suspects taken for questioning was the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, who is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative, as well as Hamas engineering and anti-tank missile operatives, and approximately 15 terrorists who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th Massacre.