By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
B’Tselem's Alarming Report Highlights Systematic Torture and Deteriorating Conditions
Israel’s leading human rights organization, B’Tselem, has reported that conditions inside Israeli prisons holding Palestinian detainees amount to torture. The report, titled "Welcome to Hell," is based on testimony from 55 recently released Palestinian detainees, revealing a dramatic worsening of conditions since the start of the Gaza war 10 months ago.
B’Tselem’s findings align with other recent reports, including one by the UN, highlighting shocking allegations of abuse against Palestinian prisoners. The testimonies gathered by B’Tselem’s researchers are remarkably consistent, indicating systemic issues.
"All of them, again and again, told us the same thing," said Yuli Novak, B’Tselem’s executive director. "Ongoing abuse, daily violence, physical violence and mental violence, humiliation, sleep deprivation, people are starved."
Novak’s conclusion is stark: "The Israeli prison system as a whole, in regard to Palestinians, has turned into a network of torture camps."
Overcrowded, Filthy Cells
Since the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7, in which around 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the number of Palestinian detainees has doubled to around 10,000. Israel’s prisons, some managed by the army and others by the prison service, have become overwhelmed. Cells designed for six inmates now sometimes hold a dozen or more.
B’Tselem’s report describes overcrowded, filthy cells where some inmates are forced to sleep on the floor, often without mattresses or blankets. Many prisoners were captured after the Hamas attacks, rounded up in Gaza as Israel’s invasion commenced, or arrested in Israel or the occupied West Bank. Some were later released without charge.
Firsthand Accounts of Abuse
Firas Hassan, already in jail in October under “administrative detention,” witnessed conditions deteriorate rapidly after October 7. He described a severe beating by masked officers, use of dogs, and firearms. "We were tied from behind, our eyes blindfolded, beaten severely. Blood was gushing from my face. They kept beating us for 50 minutes," Hassan recounted. He was released without charge in April, having lost 20kg.
Israeli citizens, like Sari Khourieh, an Israeli Arab lawyer from Haifa, have also reported abuse. Khourieh, held at Megiddo prison for 10 days last November, described scenes of chaos and brutality. "They were hitting them badly for no reason," he said. Khourieh, who was released without charge, remains shocked by his experience and the treatment of his fellow inmates.
Official Responses and International Law
The Israeli army rejected allegations of systematic abuse, stating that complaints are forwarded to relevant bodies and dealt with accordingly. The prison service claimed no awareness of the described events. Since October 7, Israel has denied the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Palestinian detainees, despite international law requirements.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has accused the government of consciously defying international law. The treatment of Palestinian prisoners has sparked public outrage, exemplified by violent protests against the arrest of soldiers accused of sexually abusing a prisoner from Gaza.
Moral Implications
For B’Tselem, much of the responsibility for reported abuses lies with Israel’s hardline security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the prison service. Ben Gvir has openly stated that conditions for Palestinian detainees have deteriorated under his watch. "These systems were put in the hands of the most right wing, most racist minister that Israel ever had," Novak said.
She warned that Israel’s treatment of prisoners following the traumatic events of October 7 signals a moral decline. "The trauma and anxiety walk with us each and every day," Novak said. "But to let this thing turn us into something that is not human, that doesn’t see people, I think is tragic."
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