Severe Beating Alleged: Gaza Doctor Held in Israeli Jail



Dr. Hussein Abu Safiya in a prison cell during a Supreme Court hearing
Dr. Hussein Abu Safiya was seen on video during an Israeli Supreme Court hearing last month.


A lawyer for prominent Palestinian medic Dr. Hussein Abu Safiya says the doctor was severely beaten during a visit to a notorious interrogation facility in Rakefet, where he could not recognise himself because bruises and injuries covered his face, neck and ears.


In a statement to the BBC, the Israel Prison Service rejected the claim, calling it "false" and added that all detainees receive care according to ministry of health guidelines. It refused to disclose details of the detention status or medical conditions for privacy reasons.


The lawyer, Nasser Odeh, notes that the severity of the violence could have left Dr. Abu Safiya in a "difficult physical, psychological, and mental state" and that the doctor feared a death sentence. The lawyer added that he hopes to see his client in hospital, not jail, soon.


Justice in Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to respond to a petition calling for the release of Abu Safiya and 13 other Gaza doctors held without charge, a move that could bring scrutiny to the country’s use of the Unlawful Combatants Law.


The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion on Monday that called Israel’s detention of Abu Safiya arbitrary and urged immediate release, warning that the case may signal broader systemic practices.


Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) have called the detention "truly horrifying" and urged urgent medical treatment and judicial visitation.


Allegations of abuse in Israeli jails have drawn international attention, with the U.N. Committee against Torture in November 2025 expressing deep concern about widespread torture and ill treatment, and PHRI reporting at least 94 Palestinian detainees died in 24 months of custody.


The case remains a flashpoint for the ongoing Israel–Gaza conflict, highlighting the plight of medical professionals caught in the tangled web of security policy, political accusations, and allegations of human rights violations.