SAFA- A report published by The Guardian details widespread abuse, torture, and deaths of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, drawing explicit comparisons to the infamous abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
 

Earlier this month, an image taken by an Israeli soldier and shared on social media showed a Palestinian man from Gaza lying face down, stripped to his underwear, and tied with ropes to a wooden board and an iron bar. The soldier captioned the image in Hebrew with the words, “Good morning.”

The Guardian said the photo brought back memories of the Abu Ghraib scandal, not only of documented abuse of detainees but also of the willful humiliation, sexual degradation of prisoners and photographing violations as souvenirs. The newspaper emphasized that these kinds of events are not isolated incidents and are not solely a consequence of the current war, although reports indicate their frequency has increased significantly during the conflict.

Decades of Systematic Abuse

The report notes that administrative detention and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners have been part of a broader system that has existed for decades, depriving Palestinians of fundamental rights while serving to intimidate, demoralize, and collectively punish them. It also examined Israel’s longstanding policy of withholding the bodies of deceased Palestinians instead of returning them to their families for burial. Some bodies are reportedly buried in numbered graves located within closed military zones, while others are kept in refrigerated facilities. 

Approximately 100 Palestinians who died while in Israeli custody remain among those whose bodies have not been returned, with Israeli authorities providing little or no information regarding the circumstances or causes of their deaths, the report said. Another issue highlighted is that of missing Palestinians from Gaza. Witnesses have reportedly stated that Israeli occupation forces detained these individuals, yet their names and detention records were never officially registered. 

Israeli human rights organization HaMoked classifies such cases as enforced disappearances and has been working to determine the fate of nearly 2,000 individuals believed to remain unaccounted for.

The Guardian stated that these cases reflect a broader reality experienced by Palestinians living under a repressive system that has generated profound and overlapping psychological trauma. The report said many Palestinians have come to feel that not only their lives but even their bodies after death remain subject to Israeli state control. It further suggested that the institutional structures enabling such practices undermine both individual autonomy and human dignity.

Targeting Key Members of Palestinian Society

The newspaper also noted that many detainees are prominent figures within Palestinian society, including journalists, doctors, and members of civil society organizations. According to the report, these individuals play essential roles in their communities, and targeting them carries implications that extend beyond the individuals themselves, affecting the broader social fabric.

Finally, The Guardian observed that many of the abuses have occurred openly. Images and videos documenting assaults on Palestinian detainees, including footage of alleged sexual abuse and prisoners restrained in their underwear to iron bars, have circulated publicly.

Human rights organizations have documented these incidents, while some images have been shared directly by Israeli soldiers on their personal social media accounts. Furthermore, certain Israeli politicians have publicly defended or praised these actions.