Palestinian Prisoners Testify to Systematic Abuse in Israeli Prisons Amid Escalating Conflict
The Palestinian Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority has exposed new testimonies detailing severe physical and psychological abuse faced by detainees in Israel’s Ofer Prison, located in the occupied West Bank. These accounts highlight a grim pattern of torture, starvation, and medical neglect as the conflict intensifies.
In a statement released Sunday, the authority revealed that lawyers had visited 15 detainees in Ofer Prison and gathered harrowing accounts of mistreatment. One detainee described how prison guards forced restrained prisoners to extend their hands through cell openings, subjecting them to violent beatings. This form of physical abuse, he noted, is inflicted daily on detainees regardless of age, health, or disability.
One prisoner, whose legs were amputated prior to his detention, testified that his cellmates had to carry him to the cell opening so his hands could be extended and beaten, despite his disability. He recounted being forced to lie on the floor four times a day as part of a punitive routine imposed by the prison authorities.
Other detainees reported extreme deprivation, including losing their sense of time due to the absence of clocks and being denied basic hygiene supplies like tissues and soap. They were allowed to shower only once every ten days, with each prisoner given just three minutes. The prisoners also described being subjected to starvation tactics.
Since the escalation of violence in Gaza, human rights organizations have documented worsening conditions in Israeli prisons, particularly in the notorious Sde Teiman facility in southern Israel. Testimonies from released detainees reveal severe beatings, starvation, sexual assault, and the denial of medical care.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, approximately 11,700 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, excluding those detained from Gaza and placed in military-run camps. Since the start of Israel’s ground operations in Gaza on October 27, 2023, thousands of Palestinian civilians—women, children, and even health workers—have been arrested.
While some detainees have been released, they show signs of severe physical and psychological trauma, including significant weight loss and impaired cognitive function.
The conflict has also escalated violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, where Israeli forces and settlers have intensified attacks, resulting in 783 Palestinian fatalities and approximately 6,300 injuries since October 7, 2023, according to official Palestinian sources.
These accounts serve as a grim reminder of the human toll of the ongoing conflict and the urgent need for international intervention to address the plight of Palestinian prisoners and civilians.