systematic torture

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

B’Tselem report alleges systematic torture, starvation, and deaths in Israeli detention centres

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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.

READ: Israeli official urges assassination and expulsion of UNRWA employees from Jerusalem

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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 ReadingB’Tselem report alleges systematic torture, starvation, and deaths in Israeli detention centres

UN says at least 75 Palestinians died in Israeli detention since October 2023

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Israeli forces detain Palestinians following an explosion in Tulkarm, West Bank, on September 11, 2025. ( Nedal Eshtayah – Anadolu Agency )

At least 75 Palestinians, including a 17-year-old, have died in Israeli detention since Oct. 7, 2023, according to a report released on Wednesday by the UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Anadolu reports.

The report accused Israeli authorities of systematic torture, deliberate ill-treatment, and denial of medical care.

The office said Israeli authorities “must urgently end the systematic torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinians held in their prisons and other places of detention and protect and ensure their right to life.”

Of the deaths, 49 were from Gaza, 24 from the West Bank, and two were Palestinian citizens of Israel. Another 19 deaths were acknowledged by Israeli authorities without sufficient details to verify identity. At least five Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, died in custody shortly after being shot by Israeli security forces, some without timely medical attention.

READ: Qatar, Saudi Arabia denounce Israel’s expanded ground offensive in Gaza City

The report cited repeated beatings, waterboarding, stress positions, sexual violence, starvation, and denial of hygiene and medical care.

At least 22 detainees who died had pre-existing health conditions, while testimonies and autopsy reports in 12 cases indicated death followed torture or beatings.

The office also drew attention to Israel’s refusal to comply with a Sept. 7 High Court ruling ordering improved food supplies for prisoners and attempts to conceal reports on detention conditions.

“Unless rebutted by investigations respecting international standards for each incident, Israel remains responsible for every single death in custody,” it said, warning such practices may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

“Israel has the obligation to end all practices that amount to torture or other ill-treatment, and to protect all detainees against such practices, including by ensuring prisoners have regular access to their families, their lawyers, the courts and that independent bodies such as the (International Committee of the Red Cross) ICRC conduct regular inspections of places of detention,” the rights office said. “Israel must protect and respect the right to life of all prisoners, and must provide access to adequate medical care, including to ensure that prisoners do not die from preexisting conditions.”

READ: 79,000 Israelis left country in 2024, outnumbering newcomers, official figures show

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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.
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 ReadingUN says at least 75 Palestinians died in Israeli detention since October 2023

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

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

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