Gaza Herald – A sweeping new investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented what it described as a deliberate and systematic campaign of torture, starvation, and sexual violence against Palestinian journalists detained by Israeli authorities since October 7, 2023. The report was based on extensive interviews with 59 journalists, corroborated by medical files, photographs, and first-hand testimonies.
Fifty-eight of the journalists said they had been subjected to torture while in custody. Survivors recounted severe beatings, prolonged stress positions, sensory deprivation, electroshocks, medical neglect, and sexual assault, including rape. The report detailed the use of “ghost hanging,” or strappado, a torture method involving suspension by bound arms, as well as sustained humiliation and intimidation.
Fifty-five detainees reported extreme hunger and acute malnutrition. CPJ documented an average weight loss of 23.5 kilograms among those interviewed, with photographic evidence showing visibly emaciated bodies after months in detention. Former detainees described conditions that amounted to physical and psychological degradation, including prolonged shackling, blindfolding, and confinement in overcrowded cells.
Multiple journalists provided detailed accounts of abuse inside facilities such as Megiddo and Ofer prisons. Sami al-Sai said he was sexually assaulted with batons, while Shadi Abu Sido described being beaten until he sustained a broken rib after his kidnapping at Al-Shifa Hospital. Others testified to mass beatings, attack dog assaults, and intensified violence following visits by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. According to the report, 48 of the detained journalists were held without charge under Israel’s administrative detention system, which permits renewable six-month imprisonment without trial.
