The mother of Dr Hussam Abu Safia has died of a heart attack, according to the Quds News Network and the Palestinian Information Center, Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli forces arrested Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, during a raid on the medical facility on December 27, accusing him of being a Hamas operative.

The 51-year-old paediatrician, who gained international attention for his video messages about the dire conditions inside the besieged hospital, has been held incommunicado in an unknown location ever since.