Israel has implemented a consistent policy of prisoner mistreatment and torture since the commencement of the Gaza conflict, according to a report by Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. The report, released on Monday, cites interviews with 55 Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel who have been detained in Israeli prisons since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered the war. Most of these detainees were held without trial. The report alleges that these testimonies reveal a systematic, institutional policy aimed at the continuous abuse and torture of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Israeli military, which oversees some detention centers where Palestinian prisoners are held, asserts that it operates within the framework of the law and investigates any specific allegations of abuse. The IDF firmly denies any claims of systematic abuse, including sexual abuse, in its detention facilities, and maintains that monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with the law. A spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service also stated that all prisoners are treated according to the law and that all basic rights are fully enforced by professionally trained guards.
The B'Tselem report comes shortly after the Israeli military detained nine soldiers accused of severe abuse of a prisoner in a military facility in the Negev desert. Israeli media reports indicate that these soldiers are accused of sexually abusing a member of an elite Hamas unit. The report outlines allegations of arbitrary beatings, degrading and humiliating treatment, sleep deprivation, and the repeated use of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.
Fathiyeh Abu Mousa, a detainee, described the treatment she received as routinely humiliating, including being held in handcuffs and chains even upon release in July without charges. She also detailed the poor quality of food and lack of basic amenities in detention. These allegations of prisoner abuse during the Gaza war have intensified international scrutiny of Israel's conduct in the ongoing conflict.
B'Tselem, a group that documents human rights violations by Israel in the occupied West Bank and other areas, suggests that the treatment of prisoners is a deliberate policy directed by the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The prison service spokesperson noted that since the October 7 attack, Ben-Gvir has ordered stricter prison conditions to reverse previous improvements. Qadura Fares, head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Affairs, has called for an international commission of inquiry into the treatment of prisoners to hold Israel accountable for these alleged crimes.
