Palestinian detainees in the occupation’s prisons are subjected to brutal forms of physical and psychological torture aimed at breaking their will and stripping away their humanity. The methods of torture vary, including severe beatings, deprivation of sleep, prolonged solitary confinement, and violent interrogations accompanied by threats and humiliation. These violations not only constitute a blatant breach of international humanitarian law but also form part of a systematic oppression mechanism used by the occupation to intimidate the Palestinian people and undermine their resistance. Documenting these crimes is essential for achieving justice, accountability, and fairness for detainees who live in inhumane conditions, deprived of their basic rights.
Abeer Mohammed was at Al-Fakhoura School in Jabalia, northern Gaza, when Israeli occupation forces bombed the school, resulting in the martyrdom of her co-wife and her children. The Israeli forces arrested Abeer Mohammed as she tried to flee through what they call a “safe passage” to the central area, separating her from her children.
Abeer and other female detainees were subjected to beatings, humiliation, and forced to undergo strip searches. After being released by the Israeli forces on 20/01/2024 and left at the Karem Abu Salem crossing, they were shot at by the Israeli forces and had to run to UNRWA camps for safety.
The family lost their son Rami with disabilities, in Khan Younis for twenty days. Israeli occupation forces had shot him and removed parts of his viscera and eye, resulting in the loss of his sight. Rami is now in intensive care due to his severe injuries and brain hemorrhage.
Detainee Hanan Faisal was threatened by Israeli occupation soldiers with bombing her house. She was insulted and denied medication during her detention.
The elderly man, Waleed Ibrahim Mohammed Habib, from the Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood in Gaza, bears visible wounds on his body from the torture he endured in Israeli occupation prisons.
Israeli occupation arrested Wisam Abdul Aal (33 years old) and subjected him to severe torture and brutal beatings, resulting in broken bones. He also mentioned suffering from a lack of access to food and being unable to sleep due to the methods of torture he endured.
Israeli occupation arrested Mueen Hamouda (50 years old) for three months, during which he endured various forms of torture. He stated that Israeli forces unleashed their vicious dogs on him, deprived them of food, and sprayed pepper on them.
Detainee Mohammad Murshid provides a harrowing testimony about his arrest alongside his family, including women and children, for three days. They were subjected to torture and mistreatment around Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, without Israeli occupation soldiers even verifying their identities. Mohammad Murshid also witnessed the execution of detainees carried out by Israeli soldiers.
On November 20, 2023, Israeli occupation forces arrested young Mohammad Kalash while he was fleeing from the northern to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, supposedly to a “safe area.” As he passed through the so-called safe corridor, Israeli forces detained him for 52 days, during which he suffered brutal torture, including beatings and insults while being stripped naked. Mohammad is not the first nor the last detainee, as the Israeli occupation continues this same practice against thousands of young Palestinians.
Mohammad Adel Abu Shaar recounts the time he spent in Israeli occupation prisons, describing the inhumane and brutal methods of torture. He emphasized that the suffering never ceased for a moment during their time in Israeli prisons. Abu Shaar mentioned that the Israeli occupation army deliberately beat the prisoners on the back, spine, and abdomen with weapons and batons, used electric rods on sensitive areas and inside the mouth, and broke teeth due to severe blows to the face.
Israeli occupation forces arrested Faraj Al-Samouni along with two of his brothers and his cousin, whose whereabouts remain unknown, from Salah Al-Din checkpoint area on November 16, 2023. Faraj recounts the details of his arrest and the suffering that prisoners endure in Israeli occupation prisons.