Lawmakers press Rubio on detained American student
More than 40 members of the United States Congress have signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to secure the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American citizen held by the Israeli military since June. The letter, led by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and co-signed by six senators including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Chris Van Hollen, warns that Safi's health is deteriorating "under appalling conditions" and that her life is "at risk on your watch," as reported by Al Jazeera and Middle East Monitor.
The lawmakers, in a letter formally sent on Tuesday, stated that "every day that Sama remains wrongfully detained in these inhumane conditions, she is at greater risk of irreversible and life-threatening repercussions." They urged Rubio to "act swiftly and use every tool at your disposal to secure the immediate release of Sama Safi so that she can receive the medical care she urgently needs."
Safi's detention and health crisis
Safi, a student at Birzeit University, was taken from her family's home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn raid on June 2. According to Al Jazeera, she was one of four young women detained in a crackdown on anti-occupation activism. Middle East Monitor adds that she was held without charge and has been transferred to Damon military prison near Haifa, a move lawmakers labeled a "blatant violation of the 4th Geneva Convention."
Safi suffers from Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), a chronic condition that has "rapidly deteriorated" while in custody, according to doctors quoted in the lawmakers' letter. The letter warns of "life-threatening damage to her internal organs" if she remains detained. Middle East Monitor reports that since her return to detention after a brief medical release on Aug. 16, Safi has "not once received her daily medication" nor been evaluated by medical professionals.
The letter details mistreatment, including being shackled, blindfolded, and denied food or water for the first 24 hours, as well as allegations that gas and stun grenades were thrown into poorly ventilated cells and that "stress positions" caused severe chest pain. Al Jazeera quotes Safi describing verbal abuse, stress positions, infectious skin disease, rats, and mattresses reeking of feces. UN special rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards has previously reported torture, potentially unlawful deaths, incommunicado detention, and degrading conditions among Palestinian detainees, according to Al Jazeera.
Official response
The State Department has acknowledged awareness of the case, with a spokesperson telling Middle East Monitor that the administration is "aware of the detention of an American in the West Bank" and is checking the situation. Al Jazeera similarly reported that the Department declined to comment on specifics, citing privacy, and that "no higher priority than the safety and security" of US citizens is being taken, with the situation being tracked.
In response to questions, the Israeli military told Florida radio station WMNF that it detained four 'female suspects' for 'hostile terrorist activity,' Al Jazeera reported. The Israeli government did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
Broader context
The case comes amid a broader Israeli detention campaign. Palestinian records cited by Middle East Monitor indicate that approximately 23,000 individuals have been detained in the occupied territories since the conflict in Gaza began. Al Jazeera notes that Israel has received about $25 billion in US military aid since October 2023, and rights groups have documented abuses including sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Several US citizens have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers without charges, Al Jazeera reported, citing cases like Sayfollah Musallet, Nasrallah Abu Siyam, and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The detention of American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim for nine months last year was also cited.
Activists have called on the US to suspend military aid. Raed Jarrar of Democracy for the Arab People Now (DAWN), quoted by Al Jazeera, argued for suspending aid under the Leahy Law and Foreign Assistance Act. The lawmakers' letter itself, as reported, references a "de facto State policy of organized and widespread torture," reflecting serious concerns about the treatment of detainees.