Inside Israel’s ‘torture’ jails where Palestinians held without charge tell of brutal treatment
Graphic warning: some readers may find this content distressing
Handcuffed and cowering on the floor of a cell in a military base in southern Israel, the Palestinian found himself surrounded by five soldiers.
Armed with dogs, the five reservists allegedly kicked and punched and stamped on the man as he lay on the ground.
Continuing their assault, they are accused of attacking him with taser guns and sharp objects, sexually abusing him with these instruments.
At one point, the soldiers allegedly stabbed him so hard that they pierced his buttocks and anus. The brutal alleged assault left the man hospitalised with a punctured lung, cracked ribs and a tear in his rectum needing surgery for a stoma.
He had not been charged with any crime.
This graphic account comes not from the alleged victim, but from the Israeli military’s own indictment against their soldiers and seen by The Independent.
It is one of multiple stories of alleged torture against Palestinian detainees being held in Israel. Earlier this month, the UN accused Israeli forces of using sexual violence as a “method of war”.
“Sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and violence to the genitals, were committed either under explicit orders or with implicit encouragement by Israel’s top civilian and military leadership,” it claimed. Israel refused to co-operate with the UN and accused the report’s authors of bias.
These claims of brutality have spiralled since Hamas militants carried out the horrific attacks of October 7 which left 1,200 Israelis dead and further 250 held hostage. Despite a brief pause in the fighting, the last of the Israeli captives have not been released.
Israel, in its response to October 7, has devastated the Gaza Strip with an estimated 50,000 dead and thousands more arrested, according to Palestinian officials.
With the Hamas-Israel ceasefire crumbling, the treatment and mass arrests of Palestinians in Israeli detention centres since war erupted 18 months ago has been brought into the spotlight. Estimates show the number of Palestinian detainees has doubled to nearly 10,000. Many are held incommunicado, without charge or have been released and sometimes rearrested.
The Independent has gathered indictments, autopsy reports and sworn testimony from those caught up in detention.
Detainees describe brutality and allege forms of torture, including violent assault, sleep deprivation, sexual violence and lack of access to medical care.
