Gaza Herald_ Inside Israeli occupation prisons, punishment does not stop at iron walls or shackles. It extends to the most basic of human rights: food.
This is how freed prisoners Ibrahim Brais and Bilal Mousa described to the Palestinian Information Center the harsh reality they endured during their imprisonment, before their release as part of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange. Daily meals, they said, were transformed from a basic human necessity into a tool of systematic humiliation and the deliberate breaking of human dignity.
Objection Met with Repression and Punishment
Freed prisoner Ibrahim Brais confirms that food in prison was not provided according to any health or humanitarian standards. Rather, it was part of a clear policy of punishment.
He explains that meals were often left for long hours in the heat before being served to prisoners, despite being spoiled, accompanied by foul odors and food unfit for consumption.
Brais adds that protesting was not an option, as any objection was met with repression or punishment.
He continues his testimony by saying that the humiliation did not stem solely from the poor quality of the food, but from the deliberate behavior of the jailers themselves. Guards would step into food containers with their feet and boots in front of prisoners, sending a clear message: stripping dignity comes before satisfying hunger. Bread, the most basic element of sustenance, was thrown onto the ground, forcing prisoners to either pick it up or go without, a scene that encapsulates the policy of daily humiliation.
Brais also notes that bird droppings would fall into food containers without any attempt to remove them or replace the meals, leaving prisoners with a single choice: eat contaminated food or face hunger.
Food Unfit for Human Consumption
For his part, freed prisoner Bilal Mousa testifies to no less brutality. He confirms that the food provided to prisoners was, on many occasions, unfit for human consumption.
He recounts personally witnessing rotten cucumbers being served, emitting a foul stench and covered in fuel, with no regard whatsoever for the prisoners’ health or safety.
Mousa adds that scenes of humiliation crossed all limits. He recalls seeing a dog place its paw inside a food container before it was served to prisoners, an incident that epitomizes the scale of abuse and the deliberate disregard for detainees’ humanity.
A Systematic Approach to Torture
Mousa stresses that these practices were not isolated incidents but were repeated multiple times, reflecting a systematic approach rather than individual misconduct.
The impact of these conditions was not limited to psychological suffering. Mousa explains that many prisoners experienced pain and medical complications after consuming the food, amid the absence of medical care and the complete lack of accountability for prison authorities over the health damage inflicted on detainees.
These extensive testimonies, revealed after the prisoners’ release, shed light on a dark aspect of life inside Israeli occupation prisons, where food is used as a slow weapon, combining psychological torture with deliberate humiliation, in blatant violation of all international conventions that guarantee detainees the right to adequate food and humane treatment.
