Ofer prison

Extremist Israeli minister storms Ofer Prison, oversees abuse of Palestinian inmates

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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on January 24, 2023 [Saeed Qaq/Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday forced his way into Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, in a visit marked by intimidation and abuse of Palestinian detainees, Anadolu reports.

Ben-Gvir entered the prison accompanied by senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Israel’s Channel 7 reported, saying that stun grenades were fired near Palestinian prisoners’ cells during the visit.

Ben-Gvir, known for publishing inflammatory videos targeting Palestinian detainees and repeatedly threatening them, has openly boasted about tightening prison conditions for Palestinians since taking office in late 2022.

During his tour, he said the changes imposed on prisons were “not enough” and vowed to push for legislation allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners.

“This is not a luxury hotel. It is a real prison,” Ben-Gvir said, expressing satisfaction with what he described as a “fundamental change” in detention conditions.

READ: Israel arrests 22,000 Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem since start of the genocide war

Conditions for Palestinian prisoners have sharply deteriorated under Ben-Gvir’s tenure amid severe restrictions, widespread abuse and noticeable weight loss among detainees.

Palestinian and Israeli rights groups say former prisoners released in recent months have reported systematic torture, sexual violence, starvation and medical neglect, with some showing signs of severe psychological trauma.

In November 2025, Israel’s parliament advanced at first reading a bill introduced by Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party that would allow the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. The proposal still requires second and third readings to become law, and no vote date has been set.

More than 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including about 350 children, according to figures through early February.

Rights organizations have repeatedly warned that abuse of Palestinian detainees has intensified since October 2023, alongside Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

READ: Israeli admission accuses Ben Gvir of fuelling chaos among Arab citizens

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Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingExtremist Israeli minister storms Ofer Prison, oversees abuse of Palestinian inmates

At least 98 Palestinians died in Israeli prisons over 2 years, rights group says

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A view of the site as Israeli forces take measures in front of the Ofer Prison in West Bank, in Jerusalem on January 19, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

At least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons since the start of Gaza war in October 2023, an Israeli human rights group said Monday, Anadolu reports.

The findings were published in a report issued by Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, which said the report is based on official responses, medical documents, autopsy reports, testimonies from medical staff and released detainees, and other human rights sources.

The organization said Israel has concealed the causes of death among Palestinian detainees in its prisons and continues to hide the true number of victims, warning that the real figure is likely much higher.

It accused Israel of carrying out a policy of systematic killing, ill-treatment, and medical neglect against Palestinian prisoners.

“The unprecedented toll, together with extensive findings and evidence of deaths caused by torture and medical neglect, points to a deliberate Israeli policy of killing Palestinians in custody,” said Oneg Ben Dror, a project coordinator in the organization’s Prisoners and Detainees Department.

The rights group said 98 Palestinians lost their lives in Israeli custody, including 94 documented deaths between October 2023, and August 2025. It added that four other fatalities were recorded during October and November of this year alone.

The report includes only deaths that occurred inside Israeli prisons and detention centers and does not include seven additional documented cases of Palestinians executed by gunfire shortly after their arrest.

The rights group said that the fatalities included 52 detainees from Gaza.

There was no comment from the Israel Prison Service nor the army on the report.

READ: Palestinian rights group reports systematic sexual violence against detainees in Israeli prisons

Severe violence

The Israeli group said the report revealed a repeated pattern of severe violence by prison guards alongside serious medical neglect of Palestinian detainees.

It said that an examination of ten autopsy reports showed signs of physical violence in nearly half the cases, including head injuries, internal bleeding, and rib fractures.

Other medical reports documented cases of extreme malnutrition, denial of insulin for diabetic patients, failure to treat cancer, and the presence of life-threatening infections.

The organization noted that these findings correspond with extensive documentation over the past two years of hunger, dehydration, and prolonged exposure to extreme cold and heat in Israeli detention centers.

The report dedicated significant space to describing the methods used by Israeli authorities for “concealing the causes of death and obstructing families from uncovering the truth about the circumstances in which their relatives died.”

The Israeli army launched a brutal offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, injuring over 170,000 others, and arresting thousands. The assault came to a halt under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10.

READ: Autistic Palestinian boy allegedly sexually assaulted in Israeli prison

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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Continue ReadingAt least 98 Palestinians died in Israeli prisons over 2 years, rights group says

More than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli prisons amid reports of torture

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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/25/more-than-160-gazan-medics-held-in-israeli-prisons-amid-reports-of-torture

More than 20 doctors are believed to remain inside detention facilities. Right, doctors being detained near Kamal Adwan hospital, including Dr Khalid Hamoudeh (left) and Dr Wadee Qasem (right). Composite: Guardian

At least 160 healthcare workers from Gaza, including more than 20 doctors, are believed to still be inside Israeli detention facilities as the World Health Organisation expressed deep concern about their wellbeing and safety.

…

A lawyer representing Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital, whose detention by Israeli forces in December sparked international condemnation, recently said he had been allowed to visit Abu Safiya in detention in Ofer Prison in Ramallah for the first time and that he said he had been tortured, beaten and denied medical treatment.

The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) have also heard detailed testimony from seven senior doctors who claimed they were taken from hospitals, ambulances and checkpoints in Gaza, illegally transferred across the border into Israeli-run prison facilities and subjected to months of torture, beatings, starvation and inhumane treatment before being released without charge.

“Frankly, no matter how much I talk about what I experienced in detention, it is only a fraction of what truly happened,” said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of al-Shifa hospital, who was detained for seven months in Israeli prisons before being released without charge.

“I am talking about clubbing, being beaten with rifle butts and being attacked by dogs. There was little to no food, no personal hygiene, no soap inside the cells, no water, no toilet, no toilet paper … I saw people who were dying there … I was beaten so badly I couldn’t use my legs or walk. No day passes without torture.”

…

Original article at https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/25/more-than-160-gazan-medics-held-in-israeli-prisons-amid-reports-of-torture

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Continue ReadingMore than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli prisons amid reports of torture

Calls for rights orgs to intervene to end torture of Palestinian prisoners

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A view of Ofer Prison located between Ramallah and Jerusalem as preparations for the release of Palestinian prisoners continue, on January 30, 2025. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) renewed its demand that international human rights organisations take effective decisions to hold Israeli occupation officials accountable for committing crimes against Palestinian prisoners who are subject to systematic torture in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

The PPS said in a statement today that Israeli practices of repression against prisoners have escalated significantly recently in Ofer Prison, as an extension of the policy of repression and raids, which reached its peak during the genocidal war on Gaza.

The PPS revealed testimonies from prisoners which were obtained by their lawyers, specifically regarding the attack on prisoners on the evening of 16 February when the Israeli Metzada prison forces stormed several sections in Ofer Prison, using police dogs and stun grenades to intimidate detainees. They assaulted the prisoners, injuring dozens of them.

The PPS indicated that the Israeli prison administration uses the cold weather to torture the prisoners, by refusing to allow the entry of adequate clothes and appropriate covers.

prisoner D.P. said: “The repression that is carried out in prisoners’ rooms has lately escalated. The last attack took place last Saturday, when jailers assaulted prisoners, beating them and wreaking havoc on the contents of their rooms.” He added that such attacks happen every two to three days.

In another testimony, prisoner G.M., who suffers from an injury, said the Metzada unit assaulted him and broke his walker, which he uses to get to the medical clinic.

A number of injured detainees told their lawyers that they were suffering from constant pain due to the lack of treatment, in light of the policy of medical neglect and the severe cold.

READ: Israeli police attack funeral procession of recently freed Palestinian

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Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
Continue ReadingCalls for rights orgs to intervene to end torture of Palestinian prisoners

Gaza’s Dr Hussam Abu Safiya tortured in Israeli detention

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The head of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya [QudsNen/X]

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has called for the immediate release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, along with all detained medical personnel held in Israeli custody.

In an urgent appeal, the ministry urged international health and humanitarian organisations, as well as human rights institutions, to intervene and secure the release of Palestinian medics.

It highlighted the harsh conditions suffered by Abu Safiya and his colleagues in Israeli detention.

According to Wafa news agency, a lawyer from the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights visited him at Ofer Prison yesterday and reported that detainees are subjected to brutal and repressive treatment.

“During the visit, Dr. Abu Safiya detailed the various forms of torture and abuse to which he has been subjected both during his unlawful arrest and throughout his arbitrary detention by Israeli forces and authorities,” Al-Mezan said in a statement.

Highlighting what Abu Safiya was subjected to, his son, Ilyas, said: “My father was subjected to severe mistreatment and torture by the army in the early days of his arrest and was held in solitary confinement for 24 days. After that, he was transferred to Ofer Prison, Room 24, Section 2.”

Abu Safiya said that he has lost approximately 15 kilogrammes, suffers from an enlarged heart muscle and has been denied access to a specialist doctor or proper medical care despite repeated requests to the Israeli prison administration. His son added that he suffers from chronic high blood pressure and is only receiving minimal treatment.

“He is only provided with one meal a day, which is insufficient and of very poor quality,” Ilyas added.

The statement further revealed that upon his initial detention and transfer from Gaza, Abu Safiay was forced to strip, had his hands tied, and he was made to sit on sharp pebbles for nearly five hours.

He also suffered electric shocks and severe beatings to the chest while in Israeli custody, according to his testimony. He spent 25 days in detention at Ofer Prison, including ten days of continuous interrogation, during which he fainted due to suffocation.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health strongly condemned these repeated attacks on medical personnel, calling them grave violations of international law and the protective measures outlined in the Second Protocol of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It urged the international community to intervene immediately to secure the release of detained Palestinian healthcare workers.

Ilyas emphasised that there are no formal charges against Abu Safiya and that all accusations have been dismissed due to a lack of evidence. He expressed hope that his father could be released soon, calling for global pressure to ensure the freedom of all detained healthcare workers.

READ: Turkiye, Indonesia to cooperate on rebuilding Gaza, says Erdogan

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Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
Continue ReadingGaza’s Dr Hussam Abu Safiya tortured in Israeli detention