Lawyer says detained Gaza doctor was severely beaten in Israeli jail

Lawyer Nasser Odeh reported that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was so badly beaten during a prison visit that he could not recognise him, while Israel Prison Service denied the allegations.

• Lawyer Nasser Odeh told the BBC that when he visited Dr Hussam Abu Safiya at Rakefet detention facility last Thursday, his client was severely beaten and nearly lost consciousness several times.
• The Israel Prison Service rejected the account as false and stated that all detainees are held in accordance with the law and receive medical care according to ministry guidelines.
• Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the government to respond by Tuesday to a petition calling for the release of Abu Safiya and 13 other Palestinian doctors held without charge.
• The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion calling Israel’s detention of Abu Safiya arbitrary and urged his immediate release.