SAFA — A Palestinian man who lost both feet in an Israeli airstrike was later restrained, beaten, and repeatedly subjected to electric shocks while held in an Israeli prison, according to a joint investigation by The Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), which uncovered testimony linking US-manufactured Taser weapons to the torture of Palestinian detainees.

The man, identified as Essa, 43, described being dragged into a section of the prison known as “Hell’s Wing,” where Israeli soldiers pushed him into a corner and fired two rubber bullets at his body. Unable to stand because of his amputations, he collapsed to the floor before soldiers tightly restrained him and continued the assault.

According to his testimony, one soldier then removed an electroshock weapon from his holster, approached him, and pressed it directly against his body, delivering an electric shock while he remained restrained.

More than a year and a half later, scars consistent with electric shocks remained visible on Essa's body. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims assessed that the close proximity of the marks suggested he had been shocked repeatedly while tightly restrained.

Essa was arrested in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza in January 2024, after an Israeli missile strike on his home had resulted in the amputation of both his feet. He was subsequently detained at Israel's Ofer Prison before being released in October 2025.

The joint investigation found indications that Essa had been tortured using a Taser electroshock weapon manufactured by the US-based company Axon Enterprise, formerly known as Taser International.

His testimony was not an isolated account. Three other Palestinians released from Israeli detention told investigators that they had also been subjected to electric shocks with weapons they identified as Axon Tasers between 2024 and 2025.

Former Detainees Describe Electric Shock Torture

The investigation documented accounts of Palestinian prisoners being restrained, assaulted, and subjected to electric shocks inside Israeli detention facilities, adding to evidence collected by human rights organizations concerning the treatment of Palestinians held since October 2023.

One former detainee described Israeli forces pouring water over his body before shocking him with a Taser during his detention in 2024. He reported continuing to experience severe visual impairment, muscle spasms, and recurrent fainting after his release.

The use of water alongside electric shocks was also described in testimony documented by Palestinian prisoners' rights organizations.

In August 2025, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that detainees at Gilboa Prison had been subjected to electric shocks before being dragged into shower areas, doused with water, and shocked again.

The commission did not identify the manufacturer or model of the electroshock devices used in those incidents.

Two videos produced by the Israeli Prison Service during the preceding year also showed a weapon resembling an Axon Taser. Essa and the three other former detainees interviewed by investigators identified the device as the type used against them.

Although the investigation linked specific testimonies to Axon-manufactured weapons, the available evidence does not establish that every electroshock device used against Palestinian prisoners was produced by the company.

UN Documents Escalating Torture in Israeli Detention

The findings come amid extensive documentation of torture and other forms of abuse inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities.

In November 2025, the United Nations Committee Against Torture reported a sharp escalation in torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees since October 7, 2023, including the use of electric shocks.

The committee also expressed serious concern about widespread sexual abuse, including rape, sexualized torture, and the application of electric shocks to prisoners' genitals and anus.

The investigation additionally referenced proceedings involving five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in July 2024.

An investigation conducted under Israeli Military Advocate General Itai Ofir identified the use of a Taser during the abuse of the detainee, who subsequently required hospital treatment.

An Israeli military spokesperson maintained that abuse of detainees was strictly prohibited and said restraints were used only in exceptional circumstances, subject to Israeli law, international law, and military orders.

However, testimony from released Palestinian prisoners and findings documented by international human rights bodies have continued to expose serious questions about the treatment of detainees and accountability for abuses inside Israeli facilities.

According to a report by a group of Israeli nongovernmental organizations, 92 Palestinians had died in Israeli detention since October 2023, while only one Israeli soldier had been tried for mistreating Palestinian detainees from Gaza during the period covered by the report.

US Weapons Manufacturer Faces Questions Over Israeli Supplies

The investigation also examined the role of Axon Enterprise, the American manufacturer of Taser electroshock weapons, and the continued availability of its equipment to Israeli security agencies.

Despite mounting documentation of electric shock torture in Israeli detention facilities, Axon appeared to have maintained commercial engagement with Israeli security institutions.

In June 2025, the company showcased its latest electroshock weapons to Israeli security agencies at a conference in Israel, according to the investigation.

The findings have intensified scrutiny of the international trade in electroshock weapons, particularly when equipment is supplied to security forces facing documented accusations of torture and other serious human rights violations.

Amnesty International has repeatedly warned about the human rights risks associated with electroshock weapons and called for stronger restrictions on their international transfer.

The organization has also advocated bringing such law enforcement equipment within the scope of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty to strengthen oversight and prevent transfers where there is a substantial risk of torture or other serious abuses.

Amani al-Sarhanah of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said electric shock torture represents only one aspect of the abuse experienced by Palestinian prisoners, while the precise types of equipment used and the companies supplying them frequently remain unknown.

She noted that much of the weaponry imported by Israel originates from the United States, although the available information does not establish the manufacturer of every device used in Israeli detention facilities.

The investigation raises questions not only about the conduct of Israeli prison and military personnel but also about the safeguards governing the sale and transfer of electroshock weapons to institutions accused of using them to torture detainees.

For Essa and other Palestinians who survived Israeli detention, the physical consequences remain long after their release, with their testimonies exposing the continuing human cost of abuse carried out behind prison walls.

Source : Safa News