Date: 13 August 2024

For months, Al Mezan has exposed the mass atrocities perpetrated by Israeli forces and authorities against Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and military detention and interrogation centers. Recent accounts from legal representatives, reports from human rights organizations, and emerging evidence from media—including testimonies from medical professionals and leaked videos apparently showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee—reveal a level of violence that resounds with the atrocities documented in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli authorities have detained thousands of Palestinian residents of Gaza, with some occasionally released through the Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom crossing. Al Mezan estimates that approximately 2,650 Gaza detainees are currently still held in various Israeli detention facilities, including 12 children and two women. They are being detained in various detention facilities run by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) or by the Israeli military, including Ketziot Prison (al-Naqab), Shikma Prison (Ashkelon) Ofer Prison, Ofer Military Camp, Nafha Prison, Sde Teiman Camp, Kishon Prison (Al-Jalama), Al-Moskobiya and Petah Tikva detention centers. Among them, approximately 300 are facing trials, while 2,350 are classified as "unlawful combatants" without a defined detention period or specific charges. In the initial months of detention, all detainees were subject to orders barring contact with lawyers, and 70 detainees continue to be denied lawyer visits to this day. 

Palestinian human rights organizations have long reported the alarming increase in physical torture—sometimes resulting in death—along with severe psychological abuse and other inhumane practices inflicted by Israeli authorities on Palestinian prisoners and detainees, particularly those from Gaza. The number of Palestinians who have died while in Israeli custody remains uncertain, as Israeli authorities have not disclosed comprehensive information.The lack of transparency and refusal to provide this critical information creates a significant gap in understanding the true extent of the torture and abuses to which Palestinian prisoners and detainees are subjected. 

At the time of writing, there is no definitive record of the total number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees who have died while in Israeli custody. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club disclosed the full identities of 22 Palestinians who died as a result of torture and/or medical negligence. This list includes not only residents of Gaza but also residents of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship. In addition, the identities and circumstances surrounding the deaths of dozens of Gaza detainees have not been disclosed by Israeli authorities. Al Mezan has documented four cases of Gaza detainees who died in Israeli custody, with evidence suggesting that their deaths were caused by the torture they endured at the hands of Israeli authorities.

The targeting of Palestinian residents of Gaza appears to be part of a broader pattern of abuse, consistent with the crime of genocide. We recall Article II(b) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which lists "causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group" as a genocidal act. Israel's systematic targeting of Palestinian residents of Gaza through physical and psychological abuse fits this definition and should be investigated as a genocidal act by relevant accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court and the UN Commission of Inquiry.

Al Mezan's ongoing efforts to monitor the conditions of Gaza detainees in Israeli prisons and military detention and interrogation centers since 7 October 2023 have uncovered severe and atrocious abuse, including threats of rape and other forms of sexual torture. Recent footage broadcasted by Channel 12 has highlighted the issue of sexual torture inflicted by Israeli authorities on Palestinian detainees, drawing significant international attention. This comes after months of persistent claims by Palestinian survivors, eyewitnesses, and human rights organizations, who have been sounding the alarm about these abuses for months. Evidence of the Israeli authorities' use of sexual torture against Palestinians in their custody was submitted to the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 24 April 2024. However, there has been no follow-up from her office regarding the information provided by Palestinian organizations, with subsequent meeting requests left unanswered. 

According to numerous testimonies collected by Al Mezan’s lawyer during visits to various Israeli detention facilities since 7 October 2023, Palestinian prisoners and detainees have endured severe physical and psychological torture. This includes, inter alia, being hung in stress positions, beaten with hammers, having their nails pulled out with wire-cutting pliers, attacked by dogs, and beaten with soldiers' fists, feet, and rifle butts. They have been exposed naked to the scorching sun while standing on sharp gravel stones, subjected to verbal abuse, and threatened with rape, death, and bombing, along with threats against their families. Detainees have also been deprived of food, water, sleep, and access to sanitation for extended periods, all while facing extremely harsh living conditions.

It is important to note that these abuses have been effectively sanctioned by recent changes to Israeli domestic laws enacted by the Knesset (the Israeli parliament). These amendments have de facto legalized such violations by granting interrogators broad powers to use any methods they deem necessary while significantly restricting lawyers' access to detainees for extended periods. Al Mezan underscores that these legislative changes have endorsed and facilitated ongoing violations against Palestinian detainees. Key alterations include extending the duration during which detainees are barred from meeting with their lawyers, expanding the authority to classify individuals as "unlawful combatants," and implementing exceptional measures that deny detainees essential needs such as food, medicine, hygiene supplies, bedding, and adequate blankets. 

M.S., a Palestinian resident of Gaza held in Ofer Prison, shared the following during a visit from Al Mezan's lawyer: 

"On 10 November 2023, I was arrested at the Salah al-Din (Netzarim) checkpoint while fleeing to southern Gaza. [Israeli soldiers] forced me to strip naked in front of passing citizens. Then, they handcuffed and blindfolded me, and started beating me severely with their fists and feet. Afterward, they made me sit on the ground on small sharp gravel stones. Several hours later, they took me to another location where I was hung on a wall and continued to be intermittently beaten throughout the night to extract confessions from me. The next day, they moved me to a small, cold cell in Ofer Prison, where they removed the blindfold and continued to beat me on the shoulders and testicles. They forced me to kiss the Israeli flag, unleashed a dog on me to scare me, and put me in a room where I was exposed to extremely loud music for around 24 hours while enduring further torture. I am living under harsh conditions in prison, including inadequate food, lack of fresh air, and insufficient hygiene supplies. My weight has dropped from 104 kilograms before my arrest to 75 kilograms now. I am also deeply concerned about my two-year-old daughter in Gaza, who is suffering from meningitis, as I am unable to contact my family."

Another Gaza detainee held in the Al-Moskobiya detention and interrogation facility in Jerusalem recounted to Al Mezan's lawyer during a visit:

"On 16 November 2023, while passing through the Salah al-Din (Netzarim) checkpoint with my paralyzed father in a wheelchair, I was arrested. [Israeli soldiers] forced me to strip completely, blindfolded me, and handcuffed me. They seized 10,000 NIS and $3,000 worth of gold from me. They then began to beat me with their fists and feet, asking me about the whereabouts of Israeli hostages. When I denied having any information, they moved me to another location where I was beaten on various parts of my body. I spent two days without food, water, or a blanket. During the day, I was taken outside and left exposed to the scorching sun. When I asked for water, they only poured it around me without letting me drink. They later returned me to the same place, tortured me by hanging me from a window, causing blood to flow from my hand, and set a dog on me, which bit me on the back. That night, I slept blindfolded with three other detainees on a single mattress."

Al Mezan unequivocally condemns the brutal acts and serious crimes committed against Palestinian detainees by Israeli authorities. We warn that if these abuses continue and Israel is not compelled to comply with international law and end its unprecedented retaliatory measures, the number of detainee deaths is likely to rise.

We call on the international community to meet its legal and moral obligations to the Palestinian people by taking immediate action to end Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza and address the severe crimes committed against detainees. We urge international accountability mechanisms to take swift and effective action to ensure that those responsible for these grave abuses are held accountable. It is crucial that these mechanisms not only address the perpetrators but also deliver justice and provide reparations to the victims. Prompt and decisive measures are needed to uphold the rule of law, restore the rights of those affected, and prevent further violations.

Lasty, we reiterate our urgent demand for the immediate closure of Israeli torture camps where Palestinian detainees are forcibly disappeared, subjected to severe torture and ill-treatment, and hidden from international scrutiny.