AOC Latest Demand Begs Many Questions
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew sharp criticism Friday after calling on Israel to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a physician who has been detained since an Israeli raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza in December 2024.
In a post on X, Ocasio-Cortez described Abu Safiya as a pediatrician who has been held without charge and warned that he faces “an imminent threat to his life from torture.”
“Israel must release pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held without charge for 18 months and now faces an imminent threat to his life from torture. Israel must end the targeting of health workers and the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in arbitrary detention,” she wrote.
The controversy surrounding the post centers on allegations that Abu Safiya was not only the hospital’s director but also a member of Hamas.
Israel must release pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held without charge for 18 months and now faces an imminent threat to his life from torture.
Israel must end the targeting of health workers and the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in arbitrary detention.
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) July 10, 2026
According to reporting cited by critics of Ocasio-Cortez, Abu Safiya is identified as a colonel in Hamas’ Military Medical Services. The Times of Israel reported in February that a photograph resurfaced showing Abu Safiya alongside Hamas officers connected to that organization. NGO Monitor later published a side-by-side comparison identifying Abu Safiya in hospital attire alongside the image with Hamas personnel.
Critics argue that the Military Medical Services should not be viewed as a purely civilian medical organization. They point to allegations that members of the group participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Abu Safiya was also a familiar public figure before his detention. According to NGO Monitor and The Times of Israel, he authored two opinion pieces for The New York Times, one published just weeks after the October 7 attacks and another in December 2024, shortly before his arrest.
Those reports identifying his alleged ties to Hamas circulated months before Ocasio-Cortez’s social media post.
❗Breaking: NGO Monitor researcher finds photo of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya in his Hamas uniform. 🧵
That the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital had a Hamas rank was an open secret in Arabic media, yet he was invited to write opeds for the @nytimes and was praised as a hero in an… pic.twitter.com/xPB05nNr2W— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor) January 31, 2026
That timing has fueled criticism from those who argue the congresswoman should have been aware of the allegations before publicly advocating for his release. They contend that either she failed to fully examine the available reporting or chose to dismiss it in favor of highlighting his role as a physician.
The debate also extends beyond Abu Safiya himself.
Critics have pointed to additional reports alleging that some medical personnel in Gaza have simultaneously held positions within Hamas or other militant organizations. Jewish Breaking News reported on July 1 that Ibrahim Al-Farra, identified as a nurse at Nasser Hospital, also served as a Hamas military commander. The same report identified Ahmed Majid Ahmed Salah as both a nurse and a commander in Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade. It also alleged that Ayman Suleiman Abu Tayr worked as a nurse while serving as a commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which the U.S. government designates as a foreign terrorist organization.
Supporters of Israel argue these examples demonstrate why professional credentials alone should not be treated as proof that an individual has no involvement with militant groups. In their view, the fact that someone works in medicine does not automatically resolve questions about alleged affiliations with organizations accused of carrying out terrorist attacks.