Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2026-07-07 Tuesday

Episode Date: July 7, 2026

Democracy Now! Tuesday, July 7, 2026

New York, this is democracy now. Khomeini was a man who dedicated his life to the struggle against oppression. Therefore, at this moment, it is our responsibility to attend his funeral. In Iran, the body of the Slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamani is in the Holy City of Kump, following days of public mourning in the capital. We'll get a report from Tehran. Then to the case of Dr. Husama Abusafia, the jailed pediatrician and director of Gaza's Kamel Adwan Hospital, who's been imprisoned by Israel since December 2024.

We still call out plead and appeal and beg to all the free people of the world and to everyone with an atom of humanity in their heart to save my father's life before it's too late. We'll speak to a doctor who knew Abu Safia. and the group representing him in Israeli courts, physicians for human rights Israel. Then Hamas has announced it will hand over governing authority in Gaza to an interim Palestinian administration overseen by President Trump's Board of Peace. What does this mean?

All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now.org, the war and peace report. I'm Amy Goodman. In Iran, millions of people have taken to the streets of Kham and other cities for a fourth day of funeral proceedings for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike February 28th, along with his daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter. On Monday, President Trump renewed his threats to attack Iran, warning Tehran to reach an agreement or see the U.S., quote, finish the job. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Basarachi said negotiations on a final deal will not commence if threats continue. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard reportedly fired missiles at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The British Navy reports a Qatari tanker carrying liquefied natural gas caught fire after it was struck.

A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was also reportedly hit. The ships were attempting. to pass through a channel closer to Oman, bypassing Iranian-controlled waters. Hamas has announced it'll dissolve its civilian governing body in the Gaza Strip and hand over power to a new Palestinian technocratic governing authority. The establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is part of the U.S. Back 20-point plan to end Israel's war on Gaza. Israel agreed to the deal last October and is since violent.

it on a near daily basis, killing some 1,100 Palestinians. On Monday, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least four Palestinians, including two killed when Israel bombed a site that provided safe drinking water to thousands of families. Israeli strikes killed at least three more people earlier today. This is a displaced Palestinian from Jabaliyah. We wish from God that handing over... this Hamas administrative committee brings improvement. We wish from God to be relieved from the tents, mosquitoes, mice that are eating us up in our children.

This is not life. We are living in torture, death. We ask God that the entire world would look at us with an eye of mercy. In the occupied West Bank, a four-month-old Palestinian baby died after Israeli forces blocked his evacuation to receive emergency medical care. The family of Ahmed Mruf Sayed had reportedly called the Palestinian Red Crescent, which sent an ambulance to the entrance of Diyama refugee camp where the family resides. But Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint prevented the babies transfer to a hospital for more than an hour. Ha'arats reports the main entrance to the village has been closed since January, shutting down the only direct route to and from Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli soldiers stationed they're routinely blocked. residents from passing through. Israeli forces also shot dead a 16-year-old boy from the Kalandia

refugee camp near Ramallah in a raid Sunday during the same raid security camera video footage shows an Israeli soldier throwing a stun grenade into a car carrying Palestinians before appearing to force the door shut as it detonated. In Maine, Democratic senatorial candidate, Graham Platner, faces growing calls to step down. Following a report, he sexually assaulted a woman he dated. Political first reported the allegations by 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Rossico on Monday afternoon. She later spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper. He violated multiple layers of consent that night by coming into my home when I asked him not to. and by advancing on me when I told him not to.

And furthermore, another incident that I had told him not to do. On Monday afternoon, Plattner published a video on social media in which he denied the allegations but said he's considering the next steps for his campaign. Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict. We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.

In a statement, Senate Democratic leaders, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, said Platner should immediately withdraw from the race. Many of Platner supporters have withdrawn their endorsements, including California Congressmember Rocana and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the chair of the Democratic Party of Maine and other party leaders posted a statement calling on Platner to drop out. Under state law, Maine's Democratic Party can name a replacement for Platner on the November ballot if he withdraws from the race by next Monday. The outcome of the election could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, in Michigan, Democrat Mallory McMorrow has suspended her campaign to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.

Her withdrawal from the race leaves two main contenders. Congressmember Haley Stevens and Abdul al-Said, a physician, epidemiologist, former director of the Detroit Health Department. Dr. Al-Said is a supporter of single-payer health care and is a critic of U.S. military support for Israel. He has the endorsement of Senator Bernie. Sanders and New York Congress member Alexandra Casio-Cortez. Stevens has the support of the Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and APAC,

the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has spent millions of dollars in advertisements supporting her campaign. The primary will be held August 4th. In more news from the Senate, AIDS to Senator Mitch McConnell say the Kentucky Republican is continuing his recovery after he was admitted to the hospital in June 14th. McConnell's office provided no further details, only that he's, quote, receiving excellent care. This comes after audio from emergency dispatchers who rushed to McConnell's home, June 14th, described an unconscious person experiencing cardiac arrest with CPR in progress.

Madam, very communications. He's farming and supervisors. He's on progress. Senator McConnell has had a series of falls in recent years and was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023. Later that year, he twice froze up during news conferences. He's not running for re-election when his term expires at the end of the year. This comes after a New Jersey Republican Congress member recently emerged from 117 days of unexplained absence, saying he'd been hospitalized for clinical depression. Congressmember Tom Kane, Jr., spoke from the House floor last week, his first public

appearance after missing more than 100 votes. As the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. only the work of getting better one day at a time. New Jersey Congress member Kane Jr. was fully paid during his nearly four-month unexplained absence from Congress. That's despite his track record of repeatedly voting against paid sick leave legislation.

Mother Jones reports that as a state lawmaker, he voted against New Jersey's historic Earned Sick Leave Act, which mandates five paid sick leave. sick leave days per year. He also voted against New Jersey's No Surprise Medical Bills Act and two of its paid family leave laws in 2008 and 2018. President Trump's joining dozens of world leaders today for a two-day NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Ahead of the talks NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta praised NATO members who've committed to spending at least five percent of their gross domestic products on their militaries, a key demand of the Trump administration. Last year, European allies in Canada spent nearly 20% more on core defense than they had the year

before. Looking at 2025 and 2026 combined, that's 258 billion dollars in extra investment. And the trend continues. Brett said allies will invest over $40 billion in military drone technology over the next five years. Meanwhile, NATO leaders announced arms deals worth billions of dollars. President Trump is expected to voice support for the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, which would reverse a ban Trump imposed during his first term. Congress has also prohibited Turkey from receiving the advanced fighter jets after purchased an air defense system from Russia. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned another humanitarian catastrophe

is unfolding in Sudan's besieged city of El Obede. The UN Human Rights Council held an emergency session Friday as fighting intensified between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary rapid support forces, which are vying for control of the North Kordofan state capital. UN experts have urged the international community to step in to prevent widespread atrocities similar to what was witnessed in El Fasher. after it was seized by the UAE-backed RSF. Already UN fact-finding missions have documented summary executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence in Cordifan.

Over 11,000 people, including more than 5,500 children, have been displaced from Elobeid in the past two weeks, according to Save the Children. We'll have more on that story in the coming days. In more news from Sudan, a top human rights investigator said the British government is uniquely positioned to stop a genocidal massacre, carried out by the rapid support forces in Sudan's El Fasher, but failed to do so over economic interests and diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, which is accused of backing the RSF. Nathaniel Raymond of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health submitted testimony to the UK Parliament detailing his team's efforts to warn of the threats. This is a portion of his testimony.

I will speak personally and I will speak bluntly. My outrage at institutional failure in the face of preventable genocidal killing, I see as a duty to stay angry as the obituary and the memorial for these people. They deserve someone to be angry for them. An estimated 60,000 people were slaughtered over the course of three days when RSF forces seized off. fosher in October. In Venezuela, the death toll from last month's devastating earthquakes has top 3500, expecting still to soar as the United States seeks to expand its military presence in the wake of the disaster. U.S. Southern Command recently announced a deployment of at least 2,000 military personnel to Venezuela alongside drones, combat helicopters, and other hardware. That's in addition to

U.S. Marines and Air Force officials already in Venezuela. The UN Development Program estimates June's earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in damage in Venezuela. Despite that toll, the United States has provided just $300 million in recovery aid while it sits on some $8 billion worth of Venezuela's oil wealth seized after the U.S. abduction of the former president, Nicolas Maduro, and the First Lady Celia Flores. The family of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant whose death in ICE custody, was ruled a likely homicide, is suing guards and the companies that oversaw camp East Montana, a sprawling immigration jail, a detention tent camp at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas at the time of Campos death.

The Washington Post reports his family is seeking more than a million dollars in damages from acquisition logistics, the company that oversaw Camp East Montana when Compos was killed, Akima, which employed the guards accused of killing Campos, an Nana Regional Corp, Akema's parent company. Earlier this year, an autopsy report released by the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office, concluded Campos had died of asphyxia caused by neck and torso compression, ruling his death a homicide. Before his death, Campos had complained of not getting the right dosage of medication to treat his bipolar disorder and anxiety. He'd also expressed having suicidal thoughts. But instead of receiving proper care, Campos was placed in solitary confinement where

guard shackled and handcuffed him repeatedly, putting pressure on his neck and chest until his body went limp, unquote. And in breaking news, explosions have rocked Damascus during a visit by French President Manuel Macron, who's making a landmark visit to meet with Syria's new president Ahmed al-Shara. At least 18 people were injured in the blast, which struck near the Ministry of Tourism and the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron had stayed the night before. Amid Al-Shera is scheduled to travel to the NATO summit for a meeting with President Trump tomorrow. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report.

I'm Amy Goodman in New York, joined by Democracy Now's Juan Gonzalez in Chicago. Hi, Juan. Hi, Amy, and welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world. Millions of Iranians have attended funeral proceedings for Supreme Leader Ali Hamani, who was assassinated in a joint Israeli. U.S. air strike in February, along with four members of his family, his daughter, his son-in-law, his daughter-in-law, and 14-month-old granddaughter. His son, who's been named the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khomeini, remained out of public view. But three of Khomeini's sons

who had not been seen since the U.S. and Israel launched the war, attended the funeral. After days of mourning in Tehran, the Supreme Leader's body arrived in the Holy City of Homme on Monday, before it will be brought to other holy sites. This is a 29-year-old law student and mourner in Tehran at the Fisadri. Just as I feel this way, I hear the same from people around me whose style of dress and level of religious observance differ from mine. Ayatollah Khomeini's death has affected them deeply. I used to say to myself, I wish circumstances and had been different, so that such beautiful things could have happened while he was still alive and in his presence. But through his passing, the leader has given every Iranian a gift,

a change in our people's way of life and outlook. Among people my age, I can see that many people have become more devoted to the leader and to the al-Abe, the Prophet's family. On Monday, President Trump renewed his threats to attack Iran, warning Tehran to reach an agreement or see the U.S., quote, finish the job. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbasarachis said negotiations on a final deal will not commence as long as threats continue. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard reportedly fired missiles at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The British Navy reports a Qatari tanker carrying liquefied natural gas caught fire after it was struck. A Saudi flagged crude oil tanker was also reportedly hit.

the ships were attempting to pass through a channel closer to Amman bypassing Iranian-controlled waters. For more, we go to Iran, to the capital, Tehran, where we're joined by Reza Tsai, freelance journalist based in Tehran, where he's reporting on the funeral of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for PBS and France 24. Reza, thanks so much for being with you. Can you explain the significance of this moment and the million of people who have come out. Yeah, and I think it had religious significance.

It had political significance. And, you know, what a statement by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the world and the Iranian people. This was the largest crowd, the largest gathering, you know, I've ever seen. It was a show of unity. It was a show of devotion. And what was remarkable is the diverse. of people that we saw

it there. We just heard from one of the people, one of the mourners who attended the funeral, and that's what I saw as well over these three people. There were certainly mortars who were there for religious reasons. Ayatollah Ali Hamini, the late Supreme Leader, was their religious leader,

their spiritual leader to many faithful here in Iran. He was the representative of God on Earth. However, what was remarkable is that many people that we saw out there during these three days were not particularly religious.

They were secular, but they were deeply anti-war, deeply anti-imperialist, anti-colonialists, and they came to pay their respects and give their admiration to the late Supreme Leader because they viewed him as the leader of the resistance movement, the leader in the fight against U.S. imperialism, in many ways, this is a new identity that's taking shape for Ayatollah Ali Khomey. He's being revered and honored, not just as the leader of Iran, but the man who took on two nuclear powers, the world's empire and the United States and Israel, the country, many view, has aspirations to have hegemonic power in this region. So quite a scene.

And it was also a logistical challenge. And what was remarkable is the cooperation, the people working together, the volunteers, thousands of people. There wasn't a time where I took a few steps and I wasn't offered a lemonade or juice or someone who wanted to comfort me with some food or fan me. It was just a remarkable show of unity in cooperation centered around this funeral services for the late Ayatollah Hamini. And, Russ, I wanted to ask you about the international reaction to this. On the one hand, very little coverage in the U.S. media of this event, but also of the representatives from different countries who attended, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the President of Tajikistan, of Armenia, of Georgia, and dignitary delegations from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Russia, China, India,

and Turkey. What does this say about the, by my count, those are representatives of governments that govern 40% of the world's population? What does this say about the standing of Iran in the world today after the U.S. and Israeli attack? Well, I think it says that the Western narrative that we see in Western media, international media, and European capitals, it is still there. And in many ways, it's a narrative that the Western media and European capitals are addicted to. There was no question that this was the largest gathering I've ever seen. I can't remember, you know, modern history looking back, a public.

gathering this big. But when you look at international news coverage from Western media, there's still questions about the size. I've seen a lot of reports describing the crowd as thousands of mourners. A lot of people still questioning if many of these mourners were paid, given incentives by giving food to many people here. It's laughable. But it's an indication that that narrative is still there. Those capitals, those European capitals, the media downplaying, what many view is an emerging power here in the Islamic Republic, which is an outcome of the war that was started on February 28th with the assassination of Ayatollah Khomeini, a war where many analysts, many

observers, or certainly many supporters, the Islamic Republic, believe that Iran won. There were also some shots of the president of Iran walking among some of the mourners. Isn't there a concern among the Iranian leaders that Israeli agents within Iran might be pinpointing the whereabouts of the key leaders during these ceremonies to establish ongoing surveillance for future assassination attempts? Yeah. Even if there is a concern, you know, I think they would still go. And he went, and this is something that maybe is difficult for people in the West to understand about Iranian culture and the notion and the value of martyrdom. When I was out in the crowds yesterday, one thing that I noticed was that the millions of people out there, most of them didn't care about how they looked. They weren't into trends in fashion, what they were looking like, which is values you see in the West in the United States, and it's very normal.

But here in the culture, that's not emphasized. The values here are devotion to your faith, to your country, to your leaders, and your fellow countrymen. And certainly there's this idea of martyrdom. And indeed, Ayatollah Ali Khan. nominee in many people's view had the ultimate honor in Shia Islam to be to be martyred. So no, I think Pezegi on the Iranian president, you know, wants to show that he's a man of the people.

And I think it's genuine. And oftentimes you see leaders come out among the people. So for the Iranian people, that wasn't very unusual. So let me ask you about his three sons who'd not been seen since U.S. and Israel attacked and killed their father. They were shown. But much to Bahamani chosen, chosen to replace his father as a supreme leader, has not been shown. Do you believe he is alive, Reza? I don't know. You know, it's obviously that's a question that many people ask.

My guess, if I was the guess, he is alive. I don't think the establishment here, the leadership would appoint him as the next Supreme Leader after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini if he wasn't alive. They'd have a lot of complicated explaining to do. It is very likely that he didn't show up. for security reasons. Some people are speculating that he was badly injured in that strike on February 28th. But all of this is speculation.

But we should point out that these questions about the whereabouts of Moshaba Hamini, the Supreme Leader, you know, they're not being asked here in Iran. They're mostly being asked in the West by the international media. And again, in a lot of people's views here, it's another effort to maybe downplay the impact of the funeral ceremony and the presence of so many people. To many Iranians who support the government, whether he shows up in public or not, they believe he is leading effectively with his decisions. But as long as he doesn't appear in public, I think, those questions. are going to be there. And, Russ, I wanted to ask you about these plans to actually then move his body to Iraq,

given the fact that Iraq is essentially a client state of the United States. What's the reason for that and what could be the potential impact within Iraq? Yeah, I think, you know, from the moment this ceremony started on Saturday, all the destinations, all the paths where the coffin and the convoy went. They had symbolic meanings. And the reason that his body is going to be transported to Iraq or because of the holy sites of Najaf and Karbalah. They have significant meanings in Shia Islam.

And Ayatollah Khomeini has a lot of admirers, a lot of fans there. And I've seen reports that they're, they're, preparing for the ceremony there. So that's why they're doing it. It has religious significance, and they want to show, I think, that this is a man that's admired in the entire region. And after they're done, in Iraq, Kabila, Najaf, the ceremony will culminate in Mashat. That's where Ayatollah Khomeini was born, and that's where he's going to be buried.

Reza, Saya, what about the role of the Supreme Leader, Hamini? in the repression of the protest? What role did he play? And also, with the millions of people who have come out, what about the dissidents in Iran? Where do they stand today? Public, but they are still here. I spoke to a number of them. I interviewed a number of them. They're still skeptical about the support of the Islamic Republic. They are still angry and rightly so outraged about the deadly crackdown that took place in January where thousands of people killed. And many of those opponents and critics of the governments of the Islamic Republic blame Ayatollah Hamenei for that deadly crackdown and other deadly crackdowns that have taken place

throughout the history of the Islamic Republic. So they are there, but they haven't been in the streets, obviously, there's been such a huge security presence over the past a couple of months. It'll be interest to see moving forward how they react to the presence that they saw from the supporters yesterday and what strategy they have moving forward. As far as the Islamic Republic itself, it has repeatedly acknowledged that civilians were killed in January. But their position is that many of these civilians, not all, many of them were armed. by Israel foreign elements. And there is evidence that there's indications that they intentionally attacked police headquarters, government buildings explicitly to topple the regime. So the Islamic

Republic's position is that even though civilians, you know, were killed, this was an armed insurgency, and they responded to a movement that was fueled and funded and armed by foreign enemies. And what do you make about all the reporting in the U.S. press about divisions within the Iranian leadership after the death of Ayatollahamani? And what's, especially in terms of what to do in terms of the Strait of Hormuz or a peace agreement with the U.S.? Well, those,

the fact that there's a heated, intense debate is accurate here. There are factions here within the leadership and among people that believe that they should not negotiate with a country

that four months ago assassinated, the leader assassinated more than 100 political and military leaders attacked, a dropped a bomb on a school and killed 100 60 people and, you know, thousands of innocent civilians. This is a faction that believes that it's a mistake to negotiate. Well, Washington and Washington can never be trusted. And there is a faction that's worried about the economy, the sanctions, their priority is getting the economy

going. This is a struggling economy and people are paying the price. So the debate is real. It's intense debates, but are there divisions? Are there destabilizing divisions? No, I think the debate is happening, but the leadership here and the people understand that they must show unity, and they understand that their opponents, their critics, their enemies, and especially Washington, is going to exaggerate these divisions in an effort to show instability in Iran. But from Iran's point of view, it's not unusual for countries and leaderships and governments to have debates and differences. And we are seeing that when it comes to how to move forward with negotiations and the conflict with Washington.

Reza, in this last minute, we have, why is the funeral being held now? The Supreme Leader was killed some four months ago. And you have President Trump, after seeing video of Iranian leaders at the funeral saying to Axios, they're all there, one shot, and we can take them all out, but we're not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with, Reza? Yeah, in Shia Islam, it is encouraged to bury the dead very quickly within, you know, one or two days. Obviously, this didn't happen.

The war had everything to do with the funeral being delayed. And I think with a ceasefire in place, you know, they decided that this was the time to do it. That's what went behind their decisions. And as far as the rhetoric coming from Washington, I think many, Iranians, from the leadership to the public, you know, are used to this kind of rhetoric coming from the Trump administration, Mr. Trump himself. Remember, you know, he was the president who threatened to eliminate the civilization. And I'll never forget that that night where I was sitting in my apartment where he had put the deadline threatening to destroy the Iranian

civilization. And for the first time in my life, you know, I thought, you know, is Tehran, is this city where I, where I'm staying with my seven-year-old daughter, is it going to be attacked with a, with a nuclear bomb? So, yeah, I think, you know, people are used to that, that kind of rhetoric with Mr. Trump and then they expect it to continue. Rezaesaya, freelance journalist, based in Tehran, Iran, or he's reporting on the funeral of the Supreme Leader Al-Hamani for PBS and France 24. Thanks so much for joining us. Stay safe. Coming up, an update on the case of Dr. Hussama Bousafia, the jailed pediatrician, former director of Gaza's Kamel Edwan Hospital. He's been imprisoned by Israel since December 2024. Stay with us.

Shield, Shil, Carrie, performed by the New York City, Palestinian Youth Choir. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez. We turn now to Gaza to the case of Dr. Hossama Busafia, the jail, pediatrician, director of Razazaz Kamel Adwan Hospital, who's been imprisoned since his arrest by Israeli troops in December of 2024. On Monday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention joined global calls for Israel to immediately release Dr. Abusafia. Last week, his lawyer from the group Physicians for Human Rights Israel, met with Dr. Abusafia, and said the doctor had experienced an increase in beatings, violence, and torture inside Israeli prisons. In his statement released Sunday, the lawyer said, Dr. Abusafia told him, quote,

they brought me here to kill me. I don't see myself surviving. This is the end, he said. His lawyer reported seeing bruising so severe across the doctor's body, including on his head and face that he could barely recognize him. This is a video message posted on Instagram Sunday by Dr. Abu Safia's son Elias, who says his father showed clear signs of torture and medical neglect during the recent meeting with his lawyer in which Dr. Abu Safia described being beaten with a hammer. My father was unable to breathe. My father was unable to speak. His face was disfigured from the marks of torture and pain,

especially after the last court session held in Jerusalem at the Supreme Court. We still call out, plead and appeal and beg to all the free people of the world and to everyone with an atom of humanity in their heart to save my father's life before it's too late. Dr. Abusafia is among at least 14 doctors from Gaza who've been detained by Israel without charge for more than a year. The Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal last month to release Abu Safia, who's being held under Israel's unlawful combatants law, which allows the indefinite detention of suspects.

Palestinian officials say Israeli attacks have killed about 1,700 health care workers in Gaza since October 2023. At least 83 medical workers remain in Israeli prisons. For more, we're joined by two guests. From Jerusalem, we're joined by Tirza Libowitz, the Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and from Chicago by Dr. Thar Ahmed, an emergency room physician based in Chicago and board member of the Palestinian American Medical Association who volunteered in Gaza in 2024 and was in frequent contact with Dr. Hussama Aba Safia. I want to go to Tiersa Liwitz first. This case, the case of Dr. Abusafia, is going through the Israeli courts. Isn't there even a

decision expected today? Can you explain what you understand at this point and what his lawyer saw when meeting with Dr. Abu Safia for the first time in a number of months. So in terms of what the lawyer saw, we heard correctly, as we heard it directly from the lawyer, the bruising on the face, the lawyers under his watch, Dr. Abu Safia had problems, breathing, had problems speaking. It took time for him to be able to speak. A number of of times he was on the verge. He tilted in his seat and was on the verge of losing consciousness, which led the lawyer to report to us at Physicians for Human Rights Israel about the situation. In terms of what's expected, what's expected is the response by the state to the appeal to

release the 14 doctors. So this appeal was submitted by Physicians for Human Rights Israel already at the end of April this year. So this is a number of months ago. And time after time, the state delayed the response that it was ordered to provide to that appeal. And the last time was last week. It asked for another delay. And we, of course, objected because we know exactly what happens during these delays, as the case of Dr. Abu Safia shows us. In response to our objection, the court ordered the state to provide, gave it actually an extension of several days. and today is the day in which the state has to respond to the appeal

and address the situation of Dr. Abu Sophia. So there is no court decision expected. This is only about the state response, and we have yet to see. We have not received it yet, and we are very concerned. And what has been the response on the streets of Israel among the public to these allegations of torture, of Palestinian medical professionals?

So I'd like to address two kinds of public. Since we are a physician's human rights Israel, let me address the medical community. We, from the time that Dr. Abu Safia was arrested, and even before, there were hundreds of healthcare workers arrested since October 2023. And we have continuously warned, turned to the Israeli Medical Association, to the Ministry of Health, to all the authorities, with knowing having documented the, the abuse that the detainees were going through, when unlawfully held with no indictment against them, from the medical community, from the formal medical community, there has been no response except when there was international pressure to say something, the likes of there shouldn't be abuse of medical workers unless they are terrorists. So you can imagine what they,

the meaning of that is. And to date, even though we know that there have been numerous approaches since we came out with the information about Dr. Abu Sofia last, early this week, there have been numerous approaches to the Medical Association here in Israel, as well as to universities, to medical schools, to Heza Medical Schools. So there have been doctors, members of the Medical Association who have been, asking and demanding for the authorized body to come out with a statement, which would be meaningful, and that has not happened to date. On the street, I can say that in terms of the Jewish Israeli public,

there is anywhere between ignoring. This thing is not being reported on the mainstream Israeli media. It's being reported only by the likes of Ha'Arretz or 972. So most people are either unaware or turning their eyes. away from that. Of course, the Palestinian population in Israel, of course, are all aware of this and are actively also trying to take steps to put pressure, both in Israel and abroad. I wanted to bring in Dr. Ther Ahmed, emergency room physician, who we spoke to when he went to Gaza, board member of the Palestinian American Medical Association. Can you explain the significance of who Dr. Abusafia is. I wanted to go to a clip before you do of Dr. Abouzafia

in one of his final interviews in 2024 before being detained, produced by Soutur. I always say the situation requires one to stand by our people's side and not run away from it. Gaza is our homeland, our mother, our beloved, and everything to us. Gaza deserves all of this steadfastness and deserves all of the sacrifices

It is not just about Gaza But we deserve to be a people that deserves freedom Just like every other people on earth I think the occupation wants us to get out And for us to ask them to get us out So they can publicly say that the health care system Is the one asking to leave And that it wasn't them who asked us to

But we are aware of that But we will not leave God willing From this place As I said For as long as there are you humanitarian services to be provided to our people in the northern Gaza Strip. So that was Dr. Hussam Abou Safi in one of his final interviews before the Israeli military detained him. Dr. Ther Ahmood, his significance in Gaza and the Kamel-Adwan hospital that he ran,

this pediatric hospital, he himself a pediatrician. Yeah, I mean, Dr. Hussam is somebody who I think most of the world became familiar with as the Israeli military was conducting their campaign and devastating the north of Gaza and the rest of the Gaza Strip. And we would consistently hear from him. He would give us updates about the situation that was taking place in Gaza when he became the director of Kamal Idwan during the genocide. He was somebody that was telling us about how the diesel fuel was running out and that there were children and babies in the incubators and that they were at the very last moments of their lives unless there were some sort of aid entering. He's somebody who's written two opeds in the New York Times in October, 23,

as well as December 2024 moments before he was abducted by the Israeli military. And he's also somebody who his own son was killed by the Israeli military a month before he was abducted. And he had to bury his son in the compound of that hospital. He's somebody who was injured. This is somebody whose voice in Gaza and outside of Gaza had become sort of the symbol of Palestinian resilience, of the Palestinian medical care system. And he knew very well. He knew very well that the Israeli military was targeting the health care system.

They were purposely trying to make sure that it collapsed, and they wanted to make sure that hospitals like Kamal-Adwan, which was situated in the north of Gaza, near Jabalya, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoon, areas that the Israeli military was leveling neighborhood by neighborhood. They wanted to make sure that it was destroyed. And Dr. Hussam knew that very well. And, I mean, even in his last moments, right before the Israeli military had him approach a tank, you saw Dr. Hussam appeal to the world, saying that if this hospital goes down, people will unnecessarily suffer in diance. specifically children. So Dr. Hussam is a senior medical consultant in all of the Gaza Strip, and his presence, as long as he stayed at that hospital, as long as he remained present in the ICU of that pediatric hospital, there was at least some degree of reassurance to the patients and to the families who desperately needed his services and his help. And that was something that the Israeli

military knew very well. It's why he had to be abducted in December of 2024. It's why he continues to remain in prison without any charge. Nothing has been brought against him. Not a single shred of evidence has been produced against somebody like Dr. Hussein. And it's a message that's being sent to the entire healthcare system, to all of the health care workers. And it fits in line. I mean, I think it's important for us to recognize, as you mentioned, how many

health care workers have perished over the last two plus years in Palestine. I mean, there is an intentional effort to make sure that health care workers are not safe and secure, that they are not protected, and that they continue to be killed, to continue to be abducted and continue to be displaced. If the health care workers do not have the protections that are supposed to be afforded to them, then what chance do the rest of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have? And so I think that's something that's important for people to recognize that Dr. Hussein, just like Dr. Adnan al-Busch, who was murdered in an Israeli prison,

just like Dr. Khaled Aser, who you interviewed on this program, was abducted for six months and then released, and like many of the 14 doctors that still remain. It's a message that's being sent to all Palestinians. and that message is that nobody is safe and nobody is secure. I mean, I worked with two of the 14 doctors that are mentioned in this list, and I knew Dr. Hussein well, and I know his family, and I stay in contact with them. Dr. Nahed and Dr. Mahmoud, I worked with them at Nasar Hospital,

and I worked with them on patients who were being injured in this genocide, and they, for over two years, remain abducted without charge in Israeli prisons. And the final thing I'll say is, everybody knows what happens to Palestinians in Israeli prisons. They know the treatment that they are being. subjected to. They know the conditions on the ground. So when Nasar Uda, Dr. Hussam's lawyer says, I'm really worried that he may imminently die, I mean, it's not an exaggeration. It's not performative. Almost 100 Palestinians have been killed since October 7th in these prisons, in these dungeons. And so it's a cause for concern. There's an incredible amount of urgency.

Dr. Amad, I wanted to ask you, the Israeli claims that he was somehow cooperating with Hamas. How do you respond to that? And also, what do you say to other doctors still working in Gaza who see what's happening to their colleague? I mean, it's a joke. Nobody takes it seriously what the Israeli military says about Palestinians in general. Dr. Hussam, anybody that's worked with him, anybody that's worked alongside him, knows that he's a phenomenal pediatrician and that he's an incredible hospital director. Same goes for all of the health care workers that are in these Israeli prisons currently. This idea that Palestinians could somehow spend their entire lives working and studying

to become doctors and to professionally develop themselves, that they could also be something else. It's a part of dehumanization. It's a part of this sort of racism against Palestinians. That somehow they can be these phenomenal orthopedic surgeons and pediatricians and cancer doctors and nephrologists. And then at night they can turn into some nefarious character. It's a joke. Nobody takes it seriously. And anybody that's worked alongside the healthcare workers in Palestine, anybody that's worked with any sort of Palestinians on projects or research, understand that they are an incredible group of physicians, nurses, first responders. They take their job very seriously.

And the things that we've asked them to do over the last two plus years in the midst of a suffocating siege, of a famine that spread throughout all of the Gaza Strip, and a military that was absolutely leveling the entire of the Gaza Strip, it's unreal that we asked them to do that. And we ask them to do that in impossible conditions. And so when I talk to my colleagues on the ground every single day now, it's very tough to be able to explain to them, or to talk to them about the conditions on the ground, to ask them day after day, oh, how are things? Are there more cancer drugs?

Are there more insulin for the diabetics? Are the kids who are malnourished? Are they getting the nutrients that they need? Are they getting the food that they need? And I think that's an important point. I mean, one thing is, I think there's this idea that on October 9th, there was this ceasefire announced in Palestine and in the Gaza Strip. But when I talk to my colleagues, that's also a lie,

Just like the Israelis continue to lie about what, you know, Dr. Hussam or any of these other physicians, why they're in these prisons, they continue to push this farce of a ceasefire. The necessary aid is not entering. The bombing still persists. People are still dying on a regular basis. And these hospitals don't have the supplies that they need to be able to treat their patients. And if you look anywhere in the Gaza Strip right now, you'll see that the Israeli military continues to encroach on the Gaza Strip occupying more and more of the land. And so it's devastating on the ground. Many of the health care workers there, I know are fatigued, I know are exhausted, I know are burnt out.

And it's because of the silence, it's the of the international communities. The fact that there was this Board of Peace announcing a ceasefire. But on the ground, nothing has actually changed. We're going to continue to talk about this in our next segment. I talk to my colleagues and they tell me that there are 18,000 people that need to be urgently medically evacuated, that there are people with cancer every single day that are not getting to chemotherapy that should be. Dr. Thar Ahmed, we're going to have to leave it there because we're going to continue to talk about Gaza in our next segment. What is happening there next.

Dr. Thar Ahmed is emergency room physician based in Chicago, volunteered in Gaza in 2024. And Tirs Elivitz is the Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel speaking to us from Jerusalem. Coming up, Hamas has announced it's handing over governing authority in Gaza to an interim Palestinian administration overseen by President Trump's Board of peace. What does this mean for Gaza? Back in 15 seconds. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez and other news from Gaza. Hamas has announced it'll dissolve its civilian governing body in Gaza's strip and will hand over power to an interim Palestinian administration overseen by President Trump's Board of Peace. The Estableness,

establishment of the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is part of the U.S. Back 20-point plan to end Israel's assault on Gaza. Israel agreed to the deal last October has since violated on a near-daily basis, killing nearly 1,100 Palestinians. Hamas said its ministries and staff would stay in place, and it would still oversee security and policing in parts of Gaza, left under its control following this U.S. brokered truce. For more on the significance of this political move in Gaza, we're joined from London by Ahmed Iraqi, senior Israel-Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group. Can you talk about the significance of what has taken place, Ahmed?

Muhammad al-Fara, the head of the Hamas administration, has resigned. What does this mean? What does all of this mean in this so-called technocratic group taking over of Palestinians from, is it the Palestinian Authority? Thanks for having me, Amy. So in practice, what this announcement does, at the moment, does very little. In practice, Hamas is still the de facto governing authority on the Palestinian populated side of Gaza. The NCG, the Palestinian Technocratic Committee that's supposed to take over those governing duties, is still basically stuck in Cairo and not allowed to enter

into Gaza to assume those duties. And even if the NCG did enter Gaza, the condition are not ripe for any of these governing institutions to properly function. Israel is still maintaining a very serious blockade. It is not allowing sufficient aid to come in. As we heard from the previous segment, everything from hospitals to clinics to basic goods and services are still very short and people are still suffering. With that said, what this announcement does actually sends a very important political signal from Hamas to, first of all, the United States, as the head of the board piece

and as the main sort of broker of the ceasefire deal. to signal Hamas' commitment to the ceasefire deal and trying to move it forward as much as possible. And tied with that is that the Hamas is trying to counter and Israeli claim that Hamas is not interested in seeing the truce uphold, that it is not interested in giving up power, even though Hamas officials have said for months now that they are ready to hand over all those duties.

So far we've seen a tepid response from the Board of Peace and from the United States, but we'll probably see in the coming days whether this, at least, gesture, to begin that process will actually unfold. And Amchad, no matter who administers Gaza, the key issue is who holds armed power in Gaza. Is there any indication that Hamas would disarm, something the ceasefire called for? So for months we've known that the regional mediators have actually come towards a sort of general framework that's trying to divide the question of weapons into what they call heavy weapons versus light weapons.

So we're talking about heavy weapons in terms of rockets, RPGs, and the smaller weapons being firearms are quite pervasive. across the strip. And the mediators saw this as a framework that can actually move the decommissioning or disarmament question forward. The problem is that Israel has actually maintained a very maximalist position where even Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that as far as he's concerned, disarmament even goes as far as those firearms as the AK-47. And so you're having a major clash with this. And the Board of Peace, including Nikolai Mladenov, who is the quote-unquote high representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace, as supposed to be trying to

sort of negotiate or mediate a process within those talks. What we've actually heard is that Mladenov is mostly presenting a much more Israeli position about what that disarmament should look like, which Hamas and other Palestinian factions have pushed back on. So the issue is not necessarily that there's an absence of a framework, but there are still huge political divergences, and that the Board of Peace is still rather skewed in how it sees that disarmament question moving forward. And how has the Board of Peace addressed to continue to have?

attacks, Israeli attacks where more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire was declared? This is clearly one of the blatant blind spots of the Board of Peace. The Palestinian authorities on the ground have recorded hundreds, if not thousands, of violations of the ceasefire terms. We've had over 1,000 Palestinians killed since the troops were supposed to have gone into effect. And not to mention the fact that Israel, which was supposed to withdraw to a demarcation that

would control about 53% of the Gaza Strip, has actually pushed that forward to between 65 and 70%. And Prime Minister Netanyahu himself has made it quite clear that he himself has been directing this, but we've also seen that movement precisely on the ground. Very little of this, if any, is actually being called out either by Mr. Mladenov or by the US officials. And what they're actually doing is allowing Israel to keep bending the terms of the ceasefire, if not openly violating it, and such that they're recarving the Gaza Strip in such a way as to entrench their presence rather than to withdraw. And so the ceasefire, itself, while it certainly lessened the pace of the violence that we saw last year,

the current conditions have now put about two million Palestinians in a humanitarian purgatory where their fate and their lives, their access to food and to clean water and other basic needs are being held hostage at the moment to the question around disarmament and around guns in the Gaza Strip. And major pressure needs to be pushed onto Israel and the United States in order to flip those kind of priorities. We're going to have to leave it there. I'm Jediraki, Senior Israel-Palestine analyst at the International Crisis Group speaking to us from London. That does it for our show.

I'll be in Kansas City on July 17th and 18th. I'm Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez.