Palestinian Detainees Speak Out on Worsening Treatment in Israeli Jails

Former Palestinian detainees have reported increasingly harsh conditions in Israeli prisons, where thousands have been held since the genocidal Gaza war began 10 months ago. In interviews with The Associated Press, four recently released prisoners described worsening abuse, including frequent beatings, overcrowding, and the withholding of basic rations.

Israeli authorities, under the leadership of security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have acknowledged a deliberate toughening of prison conditions, with Ben Gvir stating that prisons will no longer resemble "summer camps."

One prisoner, Muazzaz Abayat, who was released in July after six months in the Naqab prison, was too weakened to detail his experience fully. His cousin, Aya Abayat, described him as emotionally scarred and unable to function normally. He had been held under administrative detention, a practice that allows indefinite detention without charge.

The descriptions were consistent across separate facilities, corroborated by reports from human rights organizations.

Human rights groups have raised alarms, particularly over abuses in military detention facilities like Sde Teiman, where several soldiers have been accused of sodomizing a Palestinian detainee. The Israeli army reported that 36 Palestinian prisoners have died in military-run centers since October, citing pre-existing conditions or injuries from the conflict.

Despite calls to close Sde Teiman, many detainees have been transferred to prisons managed by Ben Gvir’s ministry, where conditions remain severe. Munthir Amira, a West Bank political activist, recounted regular beatings and extreme overcrowding in Ofer Prison, leading to severe weight loss and psychological distress among inmates.

The Israeli security ministry, in response to inquiries, claimed that it adheres to all basic rights required by law and has reduced conditions for Palestinian prisoners to the legal minimum to "deter terrorism". The ministry also encouraged prisoners to file complaints if they experience abuse.

The Palestinian prison population has nearly doubled since the war began, with approximately 10,000 detainees now held, including many detained for social media posts critical of Israel. Hunger and malnutrition have become significant challenges, with prisoners receiving meager rations.

Harsher conditions were imposed immediately after the Israeli war escalated on October 7, according to Mohamed al-Salhi, who served a 23-year sentence. Al-Salhi described overcrowded cells and the removal of basic amenities, leaving inmates exposed and vulnerable.

As families await the release of their loved ones, the toll of imprisonment is evident in the emaciated and traumatized state of the returning detainees, many of whom are reluctant or afraid to speak about their experiences.