Palestinian detainees from Gaza are enduring unspeakable abuse inside Israeli prisons, with testimonies revealing a grim pattern of sexual assault, psychological torture, and dehumanising conditions. The Ofer and Negev facilities have become symbols of a system designed not just to detain, but to destroy.

According to lawyers who recently gained limited access to some detainees, individuals are being subjected to brutal treatment: limbs tied down, sharp objects inserted into their bodies, humiliation enacted in front of others. Surveillance cameras are used to punish even moments of emotional resilience, with smiling or standing upright triggering group beatings and invasive body searches. Many detainees are reportedly forced to lie face-down during so-called “security checks” while being assaulted.

In Negev prison, detainees are held in tents with no access to proper sanitation. They are forced to relieve themselves in buckets, share contaminated utensils, and live with skin diseases like scabies due to the absence of basic hygiene. The suffering extends far beyond physical pain—this is a campaign to break the spirit of a people already devastated by war and displacement.

Palestinian rights groups have labelled this a continuation of Israel’s genocidal policies against the Palestinian population, accusing the international community of complicity through silence. They warn that without urgent intervention, these abuses will deepen, and the systems built to defend human rights will lose all credibility.

At least 1,747 detainees from Gaza are confirmed to be held in Israeli prisons, but many more are likely imprisoned in secret facilities, beyond the reach of legal visits or documentation. For Palestinians, these stories are not just reports—they are cries for justice, echoing from behind locked doors, as the world looks away.