More than 40 members of the United States Congress have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to secure the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old US citizen and Palestinian American student detained by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank since June.
The lawmakers said in a letter on Tuesday that Safi’s health is deteriorating in custody and that she has not had regular access to medication for Familial Mediterranean Fever, a genetic disorder that causes fevers and inflammation.
What the lawmakers are asking for
The letter was led by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The signatories called on Rubio to use every available tool to obtain Safi’s immediate release so she can receive medical care and return to her family and studies.
Safi was attending Birzeit University and was one of four young women detained during an Israeli crackdown on anti-occupation activism in June. The Israeli military later told Florida radio station WMNF that it had detained four “female suspects” in the West Bank over alleged promotion of hostile terrorist activity and other terrorism-related activities.
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Key points
- Six US senators, including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen, signed the letter alongside House members.
- Safi was detained without charge after being taken from her home in a predawn raid, according to the letter and the account provided.
- The lawmakers said she has been moved between several detention facilities.
- They said she reported verbal abuse, painful stress positions, infectious skin disease, rats and mattresses reeking of feces.
What Washington and Israel have said
The US State Department declined to comment on the congressional correspondence or the specifics of Safi’s case, citing privacy concerns. A spokesperson said the Trump administration was aware of reports of an American detained in the West Bank and was tracking the situation.
The spokesperson said the department advocates for Americans detained abroad to receive adequate medical care, proper treatment and regular consular visits. The Israeli government did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
More context: Tender advances Israel’s E1 settlement project in the West Bank.
Why the case is drawing wider scrutiny
The lawmakers’ letter comes amid broader allegations of abuse against Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, said in a May report that emergency measures introduced after October 7, 2023, exposed detainees to torture, potentially unlawful deaths, incommunicado detention and degrading conditions.
The letter also cited the case of American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim, who was detained by Israel for nine months last year and released after US lawmakers raised concerns about his reported malnutrition and mistreatment. Rights groups have documented alleged abuses including sexual violence.
Also read: Human Rights Watch says settler violence is forcing Palestinians from West Bank communities.
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