The lawyer for Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian medic from Gaza detained without charge for over 18 months, told the BBC he fears for his client's life after visiting him at the Rakefet interrogation facility. Nasser Odeh said Abu Safiya was severely beaten, nearly losing consciousness, and claimed he was assaulted by over five prison guards with hands, batons, and hammers following an appeal against his detention. The Israel Prison Service rejected the account as false. Abu Safiya, former director of Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, was detained in December 2024 when the Israeli military forced the hospital's evacuation, alleging it was a Hamas stronghold. He is held under the Unlawful Combatants Law. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called his detention arbitrary and urged his immediate release, while human rights groups have condemned his treatment.