The lawyer for Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian doctor from Gaza detained by Israeli authorities without charge for more than 18 months, has expressed fears for his client's life. Nasser Odeh, who visited Abu Safiya last Thursday at the Rakefet interrogation facility, said the doctor was so severely beaten that he was barely recognizable.

"He nearly lost consciousness several times," Odeh told the BBC. He added that Abu Safiya reported being subjected to severe violence inside the prison, particularly on the day of the visit. According to Odeh, Abu Safiya said that more than five prison guards assaulted him with their hands, batons, and hammers following an appeal against his detention at Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem last month. He also stated that he had not received any medical treatment.

Odeh described Abu Safiya's condition: "I had difficulty recognising his features. Bruises covered his face, around his eyes, on his neck, and on his ears. Signs of beatings and torture were clearly visible on his face. He was exhausted and unable to breathe, in a difficult physical, psychological, and mental state." He added, "His place is outside prison, his place is in the hospital."

The Israel Prison Service rejected these allegations as false in a statement to the BBC. It did not disclose details about Abu Safiya's detention status, location, or medical condition, citing privacy and security concerns, but stated that all prisoners and detainees are held according to the law and receive medical care based on Ministry of Health guidelines.

Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the government to respond by Tuesday to a petition seeking the release of Abu Safiya and 13 other Palestinian doctors from Gaza held without charge.

In November 2025, the United Nations Committee against Torture expressed deep concern over reports suggesting "a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment" of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. That same month, the Israel-based human rights group Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) reported that at least 94 Palestinian prisoners and detainees had died in Israeli custody within less than two years.

Odeh said he has not lost hope of seeing his client again.

Sources