Gaza Herald – New testimonies from Palestinian detainees from Gaza have revealed what rights groups describe as systematic torture and severe abuse inside Israeli detention camps, where thousands of Palestinians remain forcibly disappeared or detained without formal charges under Israel’s “unlawful combatants” classification.
According to a joint report by the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, lawyers who recently visited detainees in Israel’s Naqab Prison and the “Rakafet” section of Ramla Prison documented widespread violations, including daily beatings, humiliation, starvation, denial of medical care, and psychological abuse.
Detainees said prison guards deliberately use painful restraints and even “finger-breaking” as methods of punishment and intimidation, particularly against detainees undergoing military court proceedings. Prisoners are reportedly forced to remain handcuffed during outdoor breaks and forbidden from raising their heads or speaking to one another.
Inside overcrowded cells, four detainees are held together, with one forced to sleep on the floor. Mattresses are confiscated daily from early morning until late at night, leaving prisoners seated for hours on bare metal beds. Testimonies also described bans on prayer, severe shortages of hygiene supplies, and threats issued before lawyer visits to prevent detainees from speaking about detention conditions.
Several detainees recounted being subjected to violent interrogations immediately after detention, including prolonged beatings, stress positions, blindfolding, and threats with sharp objects. One detainee said he lost sensation in his legs due to torture, while another required liver surgery after severe physical abuse.
The report also warned of worsening health conditions inside detention camps, particularly the spread of scabies among detainees in Naqab Prison, where detainees say they are denied proper treatment despite months of suffering. Rights organizations stated that the continued detention of Gaza prisoners under the “unlawful combatant” designation has enabled enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and torture without effective international oversight or accountability.
