SAFA — An investigation by The Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) has exposed the use of electric shock weapons manufactured by American company Axon to torture Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities, raising serious questions about the continued supply of US-made equipment to Israeli security forces despite documented accounts of abuse.

The investigation draws on testimonies from former Palestinian detainees who described being subjected to electric shocks, physical assaults, and other forms of torture while in Israeli custody. It also examined medical evidence, procurement records, and the continued commercial relationship between Axon and Israeli security agencies.

According to the findings, Axon has continued supplying Taser devices and related equipment to Israeli entities, even as accounts of their use against Palestinian prisoners have emerged from detention facilities.

Palestinian Amputee Describes Torture Inside Israeli Prison

One former prisoner, identified under the pseudonym Issa, described being taken to a section of an Israeli prison known among detainees as the "Hell Wing," where he said guards subjected him to severe physical abuse and electric shocks.

Issa, 43, told investigators that guards violently pushed him into a corner before one fired two rubber bullets at him, knocking him to the ground. He said another guard then tightly restrained him, despite knowing that both his feet had been amputated following an Israeli missile strike on his home in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

According to his testimony, the guards subsequently used an electric shock weapon against him, which he later identified as an Axon Taser.

More than 18 months after the incident, marks remained visible on his body. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims assessed the closely spaced pairs of scars and found them consistent with repeated electric shocks administered while he was tightly restrained.

Israeli forces arrested Issa in January 2024 while he was living in Jabalia following the loss of his feet. He was subsequently held at Ofer Prison until his release in October 2025.

The investigation also documented testimonies from three other former Palestinian prisoners who reported being tortured with Axon electric shock weapons between 2024 and 2025.

One former detainee described Israeli personnel pouring water over his body before repeatedly shocking him with a Taser in 2024. He reported continuing to suffer from serious vision problems, seizures, and episodes of fainting following his detention.

The testimonies, alongside medical assessments of injuries, provide further evidence of the use of electric shock devices during the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Axon Maintains Contracts With Israeli Security Agencies

The joint investigation found that Axon continued to secure contracts with Israeli entities for Taser weapons and related equipment despite growing documentation of torture and abuse in Israeli detention facilities.

In June 2025, the American manufacturer presented its latest electric shock weapons to Israeli security agencies during a conference held in Israel, demonstrating the continuation of its commercial engagement with Israeli security institutions.

The findings have intensified questions about the responsibilities of manufacturers whose products are supplied to security forces implicated in serious human rights violations, particularly when equipment designed for law enforcement is used against restrained detainees.

Palestinian prisoners' rights organizations have separately documented the use of electric shock devices in Israeli detention facilities.

In August 2025, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that prisoners at Gilboa Prison had been dragged into washing areas, soaked with water, and repeatedly subjected to electric shocks.

The commission did not identify the manufacturer of the devices reportedly used in those incidents.

Amani al-Sarhanah of the Palestinian Prisoners Club warned that electric shock weapons represent only one category of equipment reportedly used to abuse Palestinian detainees.

She said the full range of devices and their manufacturers remains largely unknown, while highlighting the significant role of American suppliers in Israel's weapons imports.

Amnesty International has also called for tighter restrictions on the international trade in electric shock weapons because of the risks of their use in torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Investigation Examines Sexual Abuse at Sde Teiman

The Guardian-ARIJ investigation also examined the case of a Palestinian detainee who suffered sexual abuse at Israel's Sde Teiman detention facility in July 2024.

Five Israeli soldiers were investigated in connection with the assault, which left the detainee requiring hospital treatment.

According to findings cited from the Israeli military investigation, a Taser was used during the abuse. The available information does not establish the manufacturer of the device involved in that incident.

The case forms part of a wider body of reporting on severe mistreatment and sexual violence against Palestinians held in Israeli custody since October 2023.

In November 2025, the United Nations Committee Against Torture expressed grave concern over a sharp increase in reports of torture and ill-treatment in Israeli detention facilities.

The committee highlighted accounts of rape, sexualized torture, and electric shocks applied to prisoners' genitals and anus, underscoring the seriousness of the abuses reported by Palestinian detainees and human rights organizations.

The joint investigation also cited findings from Israeli nongovernmental organizations documenting 92 Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody since October 2023.

According to the report cited by the investigation, only one Israeli soldier had been prosecuted for abusing Palestinian detainees from Gaza during the period examined.

Israeli Military Denies Mistreatment

Responding to The Guardian, the Israeli military said the mistreatment of detainees was strictly prohibited and maintained that restraints could be used only in exceptional circumstances permitted under Israeli and international law and applicable military orders.

However, the testimonies collected by The Guardian and ARIJ, together with medical assessments and findings by international human rights bodies, have intensified scrutiny of Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the use of electric shock weapons inside detention facilities.

The investigation also raises broader questions about corporate responsibility and the safeguards governing the sale of law enforcement equipment to security institutions facing documented reports of torture.

For Palestinian prisoners who described being shocked, beaten, and restrained while in Israeli custody, the findings expose the human consequences of abusive detention practices and reinforce calls for independent investigations, accountability, and stronger controls on equipment that can be used to inflict torture.

Source : Safa News