More than 40 members of the United States Congress have penned a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on him to push for the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old US citizen who has been detained by the Israeli military since June. The legislators warned on Tuesday that the Palestinian American student’s health is deteriorating “under appalling conditions” in Israeli custody. We urge you 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 and return to her family, her studies, and the life and freedom that every 20-year-old deserves.” Six US senators – including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen – signed on to the letter alongside dozens of members of the House of Representatives.
Israeli forces abducted Safi, who was attending Birzeit University, from her home in the occupied West Bank in a predawn raid nearly three months ago, and they have been holding her without charge. Safi was one of four young women who were detained as part of an Israeli crackdown on anti-occupation activism in June. Israel has received about $25bn in US military aid since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Over the past years, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed several US citizens, including Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death in a settler attack last year. In February, Israeli settlers also fatally shot 19-year-old American citizen Nasrallah Abu Siyam. In 2024, the Israeli military killed Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US activist from Seattle.
None of the incidents have resulted in criminal charges against the perpetrators. Israel detained American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim for nine months last year and only released him after an outcry from US lawmakers, as his family warned that the boy may die from malnutrition and mistreatment in Israeli custody. Rights groups have documented horrific and widespread abuses against Palestinian detainees by Israel, including sexual violence.
In their letter to Rubio, the US lawmakers underscored that Safi suffers from a chronic medical condition known as Familial Mediterranean Fever, a genetic disorder that causes fevers and inflammation, but she has not had regular access to her medication. The Palestinian American detainee has also been moved across several facilities. The State Department said it does not comment on congressional correspondence, and it declined to comment on the specifics of Safi’s case, citing privacy concerns.
A State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the administration of President Donald Trump “has no higher priority than the safety and security” of US citizens. When Americans are detained abroad, the Department advocates for their access to adequate medical care, proper treatment, and regular consular visits.” Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at the US-based rights group DAWN, suggested Safi’s detention should trigger suspending American military aid to Israel under Washington’s regulations, including the Leahy Law. Her own government has abandoned her,” he told Al Jazeera.
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