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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.
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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.
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A protest held as part of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in Ramallah, West Bank on November 30, 2025. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]
The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem released a report on Tuesday documenting widespread and systematic abuses against Palestinians held in Israeli detention centres, including torture, starvation, sexual violence, denial of medical care, and deaths in custody.
According to the report, Israeli detention facilities operate as a coordinated network of what B’Tselem characterised as “torture camps,” where detainees are subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse under inhumane conditions. Testimonies collected by the organisation describe prolonged beatings, humiliation, extreme overcrowding, deliberate starvation, medical neglect, and, in some cases, sexual violence. Several former detainees reported experiencing such abuses personally or witnessing them being inflicted on others.
B’Tselem said it has documented at least 84 cases of Palestinians who died in Israeli custody since October 2023, including one minor. Of those who died, 50 were from the Gaza Strip, 31 from the occupied West Bank, and three were Palestinian citizens of Israel. The organisation added that, as of January 2025, Israeli authorities were still withholding the bodies of 80 of the deceased prisoners and refusing to return them to their families.
The report noted that these figures represent only cases that could be independently verified, warning that the actual number of deaths in detention may be higher.
Commenting on the findings, B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak said Israeli detention centres had become part of a “planned and widespread attack” against Palestinian society. She argued that the abuse of detainees forms part of a broader policy aimed at dismantling Palestinian social and political life, linking the detention practices to the ongoing war in Gaza and what she described as ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
Novak criticised the international community for what she called continued inaction, saying that the absence of accountability for Israel has contributed to the persistence of torture, repression, and other grave violations against Palestinians.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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/O74hZCKKdpAKeir 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.
The logo of Human Rights NGO Amnesty International is pictured in Paris on May 28, 2024 [STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images]
Hamas has called on Amnesty International to withdraw a report accusing the Palestinian resistance of committing war crimes during the 7 October 2023 operation against the Gaza Division of the Israeli army, describing the findings as misleading, biased and unprofessional.
In a statement published on its official Telegram channel on Thursday, the movement said the report contained “serious inaccuracies” and relied on claims that contradict evidence documented by Palestinian, international and even Israeli human rights organisations.
Hamas rejected Amnesty’s assertion that resistance fighters were responsible for the destruction of hundreds of homes and facilities, saying multiple investigations have shown that Israeli forces destroyed large areas using tanks and air strikes. It also disputed allegations of the killing of civilians, arguing that several reports indicate many civilians were killed by Israeli fire under the so-called “Hannibal Protocol”.
The movement further condemned “Amnesty’s repetition of Israeli government claims regarding rape, sexual violence and the mistreatment of prisoners”. Hamas said these allegations had been refuted by international investigations and accused the organisation of adopting what it called the “narrative of the occupying power”.
“The report repeats unfounded accusations aimed at inciting hostility against the Palestinian resistance and distorting its image, while ignoring the documented crimes of the occupation,” the statement said.
Hamas urged Amnesty International to retract the report and to refrain from, in its words, “colluding with attempts to demonise the Palestinian people or obscure the crimes of the occupation”, which are currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court on charges including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The movement also stressed that Israel has prevented international organisations, UN agencies and independent investigation teams from entering Gaza since the early days of the genocide, arguing that this blockade has obstructed fact-finding efforts and undermined the credibility of reports produced without direct access to the territory.
“Any report produced away from the scene of events, without access to witnesses and evidence, is necessarily incomplete and lacks professional integrity,” Hamas added.
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.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.
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Palestinian prisoners were brought to Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah in south of Gaza as a result of the torture inflicted upon them during detention by Israeli forces in inhumane conditions [Firas Al-Shaer]
The United Nations Committee Against Torture has found credible evidence that Israel is operating a “de facto State policy of organised and widespread torture and ill-treatment,” warning that such practices may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and may meet the legal criteria for genocide.
In its concluding observations on Israel’s sixth periodic review, the Committee said it was “deeply concerned” about multiple and serious allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians deprived of liberty, including children. It further described the situation as having “gravely intensified” since 7 October 2023.
The UN report lists detailed allegations of abuse, based on testimonies from rights groups, medical experts, and detainees themselves. These include beatings with batons and rifle butts, kicks to the head and genitals, electrocution, including of the genitals and anus, waterboarding, prolonged stress positions, sexual violence including rape, molestation, forced nudity and sexual threats, the use of attack dogs, exposure to extreme cold or heat, including use of boiling water. Victims reported being urinated on, forced to wear nappies, or made to act like animals. Many were shackled at all times, blindfolded, and fed through a straw.
“The Committee expresses its deep concern over allegations of repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, waterboarding, use of prolonged stress positions, sexual violence, threats against detainees and their family members, insults to personal dignity and humiliation such as being made to act like animals or being urinated on, systematic denial of medical care, excessive use of restraints, in some cases resulting in amputation, the performance of surgeries without anaesthetic, exposure to extreme cold or heat, including boiling water” said the UN.
On its list of grave violations committed by Israel the Committee included, “denial of adequate nutrition and water, deprivation of clothing, sleep and access to hygiene facilities and products, including feminine hygiene products, deprivation of light or darkness, use of loud music and noises, denial of the right to freely practice ones religion, and the forcible use of hallucinogenic medication, in a discriminatory manner, against Palestinians, and for purposes including the extraction of information or confessions and as a means of exacting punishment, including collective punishment.”
The Committee expressed alarm at Israel’s use of the Unlawful Combatants Law to detain children, the elderly, and pregnant women without charge. It noted that many detainees were held in solitary confinement, denied access to family, legal counsel, education, or even basic hygiene, food, and water.
It further reported that 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023, many showing signs of starvation, untreated wounds, dehydration, and signs of torture. Families were often not informed, constituting enforced disappearance under international law. Despite these deaths, the Committee noted that no Israeli official has been held accountable.
The Committee concluded that acts of torture and ill-treatment committed against Palestinians deprived of liberty could qualify as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It referenced the UN Commission of Inquiry’s prior findings that such acts may form part of the actus reus of genocide—a Latin term referring to the “guilty act” or the physical component of a criminal offence, in this case the deliberate infliction of harm on a protected group.
The Committee called on Israel to immediately cease the use of torture and ill-treatment, grant unrestricted access to all detention facilities to independent monitors, establish an independent commission of inquiry, investigate and prosecute all responsible officials, including military and intelligence officers, and repeal or amend laws enabling arbitrary detention and ensure protection of vulnerable detainees, especially children.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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.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
Palestinians living in the area inspect the area among the rubbles of destroyed buildings following an Israeli attack on Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza on December 27, 2024 [Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency]
A group of UN experts on Monday said that Israel “must face the consequences” of its campaign to undermine the legal framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts as the military aggression continues unabated, Anadolu Agency reports.
“As we have repeatedly reminded Israel, international humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare,” the experts said in a statement.
“Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond,” they added.
Citing Israel’s international law violations, the experts said Tel Aviv committed “crimes against humanity including murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer, war crimes encompassing indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and educational institutions and cultural heritage, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, the targeting of healthcare workers and health facilities, attacks on humanitarian workers, arbitrary restrictions on access to humanitarian aid, and attacks on journalists, collective punishment and perfidy.”
“Political and judicial actors must consider the totality of such acts against the entire civilian population under Israeli occupation, who are protected persons and do not constitute military objectives under international law,” they said. “Acts aimed at their destruction in whole or in part are genocidal.”
Israel “grievously” violated its obligations as an occupying power, the experts said, regarding the situation in northern Gaza.
“Indiscriminate attacks, including on shelters for displaced persons and the Kamal Adwan Hospital and its vicinity, and the intensification of siege conditions on northern Gaza for the last three months run contrary to Israel’s legal duty to ensure the protection of the civilian population,” they said.
“We are disturbed that this siege, coupled with expanding evacuation orders, appears intended to permanently displace the local population as a precursor to Gaza’s annexation in further violation of international law.”
Although Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory was labeled “unlawful” by the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister, the experts said: “Nonetheless, Israel continues to face no real consequences, largely due to protection offered by its allies, who have gone so far as to join Israel in delegitimizing international institutions and besmirching Special Procedures mandate-holders.”
The experts reiterated the urgency of allowing independent and thorough investigations of serious violations of international law.
“Israel’s continued impunity sends a dangerous message suggesting that parties to other conflicts around the world need not comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” they said. “We cannot afford to lose the force of the multilateral system. Israel and its leaders must be held accountable.”
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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/O74hZCKKdpAUK 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
