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Stripped, Beaten, Silenced: Gaza Detainees Detail Brutal Torture in Israeli Prisons

Posted On: 27-05-2025 | National News , Prisoners , Human Rights , International
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RAMALLAH / PNN /

Nearly 600 days into the ongoing war on Gaza, Palestinian detainees from the besieged enclave continue to endure systematic torture and degrading treatment inside Israeli prisons and military camps, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Legal teams visiting detainees in recent weeks reported harrowing accounts of abuse in detention centers, particularly at the Sde Teiman and Ofer military camps. These testimonies, collected during legal visits throughout May, point to escalating levels of physical and psychological torture aimed at dehumanizing detainees and breaking their will.

"I was stripped naked and photographed before interrogation"

One detainee, identified as Y.S., said he was arrested on Dec. 27, 2024, from Kamal Adwan Hospital and transferred to a detention center in Jerusalem for 24 days. "We were shackled the entire time. I was interrogated for 20 days straight, followed by three additional sessions, each lasting four hours," he said.

Y.S. described being threatened with a form of torture known as the "disco method" and said he was stripped naked and photographed with a mobile phone before interrogations began. He said he has been held under harsh conditions at the Sde Teiman military camp, where he was allowed to change clothes only once since arriving.

"Torture depends on the mood of Israeli soldiers"

Another detainee, M.D., arrested in November 2024 with his family near the so-called Civil Administration checkpoint, said he was taken to Sde Teiman after being held with 180 people in a nearby building.

"I was interrogated for days, including one continuous 18-hour session where I was repeatedly beaten," he said. "Later, I endured the 'disco method' for 24 hours." After 35 days, he was brought to a court session via phone, during which his detention was extended "until the end of the war."

M.D. described dire detention conditions, noting that 25 detainees are kept in a single barracks, forced to remain seated and forbidden from speaking. Surveillance cameras monitor them continuously. “Everything here depends on the mood of the soldiers — even access to the yard,” he added.

He said he has not changed his outer clothing in 90 days and has worn the same undergarments for 30 days. Five to six detainees share one towel, and showers last just two minutes.

"The prison yard is just another chance for soldiers to abuse us"

A.R., detained on Dec. 27, 2024, from the so-called "safe corridor," said he was held overnight in the freezing cold while wearing only a white medical gown. "We were beaten repeatedly during the transfer to Sde Teiman, and I still suffer from shoulder and cartilage pain with no medical attention provided," he said.

After 40 days, he appeared in court via phone and was given an open-ended extension of his detention. "I’ve worn the same clothes for over a month, and we are forced to sit all day on metal bed frames. Talking is prohibited, surveillance cameras are everywhere, and we must keep our heads down during the yard time, or face humiliation and abuse."

"I was blindfolded and handcuffed for 41 days"

Y.N., another detainee, said he spent three days completely naked before receiving a medical gown and was held in Jerusalem for 41 days while blindfolded and handcuffed. "I was beaten, and I still suffer severe pain and swelling in my left leg," he said, adding that he relies on other detainees for basic needs as he cannot walk.

"Five months without changing clothes"

A.L., arrested in November 2024, said detainees are forced to move in line with their heads lowered, resembling a “human train.” He has not changed clothes in five months and was forced to shower with cold water during winter as a form of punishment.

"The soldiers apply collective punishment and deliberately torture some detainees in front of us to instill fear," he said. "We are denied even the most basic necessities, like toothbrushes and toothpaste. One roll of toilet paper is shared per room each day. Food is served without utensils — we are forced to eat with our hands."

The Detainees’ Commission and Prisoners’ Society said the testimonies reflect an entrenched policy of systematic abuse and torture aimed at erasing the humanity of Palestinian detainees — a continuation of the broader war on Gaza.

Since the start of the war, 44 detainees from Gaza have died in Israeli custody — among 70 total Palestinian prisoners who died in detention since October 2023. Dozens of others from Gaza remain victims of enforced disappearance.

The last official figure from the Israel Prison Service counted 1,846 Gaza detainees classified as “unlawful combatants,” a designation that excludes many more being held by the Israeli military outside the official prison system.

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