A prominent Gaza doctor detained by Israel without charge for more than 18 months has allegedly been so badly beaten that his lawyer says he could barely recognise him. The disturbing claims have intensified pressure on Israeli authorities as the country's Supreme Court weighs a petition seeking his release.

Lawyer Nasser Odeh told the BBC he fears for the life of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya after visiting him last Thursday at the Rakefet interrogation facility. Odeh said his client appeared severely injured and repeatedly lost consciousness during their meeting.

"I had difficulty recognising his features," Odeh said. He described bruises covering Abu Safiya's face, eyes, neck and ears, saying signs of beatings and torture were clearly visible and that the doctor was exhausted, struggling to breathe and in a poor physical, psychological and mental state.

According to Odeh, Abu Safiya told him: "I'm living in hell. The mind can't imagine what I go through every day. I think someone has decided to kill me."

The lawyer said Abu Safiya claimed he had been assaulted by more than five prison guards using their hands, batons and hammers after an appeal against his detention was heard at Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem last month. Odeh also said his client told him he had received no medical treatment following the alleged attack.

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) rejected the allegations in a statement to the BBC, describing the account as false and without factual basis. It said all prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, receive medical care based on Ministry of Health guidelines and denied allegations of abuse, torture, starvation or the denial of medical treatment.

The IPS said it could not provide information about Abu Safiya's detention status, location or medical condition because of privacy and security considerations.

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 who are being held without charge.

Abu Safiya was the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where he treated patients and led the facility while the area was under what the United Nations described as a "near total siege" by Israeli forces.

He was detained in December 2024 after Israeli forces ordered patients and medical staff to evacuate the hospital. The Israeli military said at the time that Kamal Adwan Hospital was a "Hamas terrorist stronghold," while the World Health Organization called for attacks on hospitals in Gaza to stop.

Images from the scene showed Abu Safiya, wearing his white doctor's coat, walking through rubble toward an Israeli armoured vehicle before being taken away for interrogation.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that Abu Safiya was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities and of holding a rank within Hamas. He held the rank of colonel in the health department of Gaza's Hamas-run interior ministry, an agency responsible for providing medical treatment to security personnel, police officers and their families.

However, medical colleagues and international aid organisations that worked with Abu Safiya deny he co-operated with or worked for Hamas.

He remains detained under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows the military to hold people from Gaza suspected of posing a security threat for an unspecified period without filing charges.

The case comes amid growing scrutiny of conditions inside Israeli detention facilities. The United Nations Committee against Torture said in November 2025 that it was deeply concerned by reports suggesting "a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment" of Palestinian detainees.

During the same month, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) said at least 94 Palestinian prisoners and detainees had died in Israeli custody in less than two years.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly called for action in Abu Safiya's case. Amnesty International described the allegations surrounding his detention as "truly horrifying," while PHRI said he should immediately be transferred, receive urgent medical treatment and be brought before a judge.

PHRI also filed the petition now before Israel's Supreme Court seeking the release of Abu Safiya and 13 other detained Palestinian doctors from Gaza.

On Monday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion describing Abu Safiya's detention as arbitrary and called for his immediate release. The independent experts also said his case was one of several that may point to a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in Israel.

The BBC has contacted the Israel Prison Service for comment on the UN working group's findings.

Despite his fears, Odeh said he has not given up hope. He said Abu Safiya belongs back in the hospital treating patients, not behind prison walls.

But one final remark from his client continues to haunt him. According to Odeh, Abu Safiya quietly said: "Thank you Nasser, but I think it will be the last time we will meet."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07yy3pgrlmo

Absolutely appalling !!.

War crimes, land grabbing, genocide...all in broad dayligh going on for decades...but of course for Europe (and America before Trump) the big enemy is Russia-Russia..for there is more money to be made in the subsequent arms deals all over.

On 7/8/2026 at 2:30 AM, bannork said:

A prominent Gaza doctor detained by Israel without charge for more than 18 months has allegedly been so badly beaten that his lawyer says he could barely recognise him

But but but the resident "Blood libel" Zionist said this was just Hamas propaganda...?

Maybe the Zionist was lying. 😄

Just a guess.

at least he wasnt raped.

A representative of the detained man made an unsubstantiated allegation. The BBC ran the story without question.

The man was supposedly assaulted at his court hearing. Yet, the images from the court hearing show no physical injuries. Of all places to assault a prisoner, the least likely place would be in a court facility with many witnesses available.

There is no corroborating evidence. The prisoner has access to medical care and all medical personnel are legally obligated to report abuse. There are no reports for this case. This allegation is going to be taken as an opportunity to run with another false claim. The idiot Israelis are once again showing how inept they are by not addressing the claim.

Gaza Detentions Under Fresh Scrutiny as Abuse Claims Mount

Fresh allegations over the treatment of Palestinian detainees have intensified pressure on Israel, after the former director of a Gaza hospital reportedly told his lawyer he feared he would not survive in custody. Rights groups say the case has become a symbol of wider concerns over administrative detention, prison conditions and accountability during the war.

Doctor's Allegations Raise Alarm

Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been held by Israeli authorities without charge or trial for more than 18 months under administrative detention rules. According to his lawyer, he described repeated beatings, alleged assaults with batons and hammers, and periods of unconsciousness while in custody.

Reports say Abu Safiya was transferred in June to Rakefet prison, an underground detention facility reopened in late 2023. His legal team and campaigners claim prisoners there are denied access to daylight, while rights organisations argue prolonged detention without trial raises serious legal and humanitarian concerns.

Detention System Faces Renewed Criticism

Human rights organisations estimate that around 3,500 Palestinians are currently being held under administrative detention, including nearly 200 children. The orders can reportedly be renewed every six months without formal charges, prompting longstanding criticism from international legal groups.

Former detainees have also described severe conditions inside Israeli prisons. Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi, released earlier this year, said he lost around 60kg during his imprisonment and described detention as "hell in every sense of the word".

Images and Missing Detainees Add Pressure

Recent photographs circulating online have drawn renewed attention to allegations of abuse after images appeared to show a bound Palestinian detainee in humiliating conditions. Rights organisations say such incidents reinforce concerns about the treatment of prisoners held during the conflict.

Israeli human rights group HaMoked has also raised concerns over almost 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza whose whereabouts remain unclear after witnesses reported they had been detained by Israeli forces, describing the cases as possible enforced disappearances.

Calls for Accountability Intensify

Campaigners argue the allegations reflect broader concerns over the treatment of Palestinian detainees rather than isolated incidents. They are calling for independent investigations into claims of torture, abuse and disappearances.

The UK has recently expressed concern at the United Nations over documented allegations of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees and has urged Israel to investigate. Israeli authorities have previously said they investigate allegations of misconduct by security personnel, while maintaining that military operations are conducted in accordance with the law.

In Israel’s prisons, torture and death have become a norm that it barely tries to hide

Israel learnt a great deal from the Nazis, then passed that horror on in a different, more calculated form. The tragedy is that humanity so often inherits suffering, only to inflict it on others instead of learning from it.

37 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Israel learnt a great deal from the Nazis

Yes indeed, Israel learnt it had to defend itself and to fight back against people who want to finish Hitlers job .

"Never again" was the lesson learnt from the Nazis