GAZA, (PIC)
New testimonies from detainees from Gaza held in the Negev Desert Prison have revealed the hellish torture and brutal mistreatment inside Israeli prisons.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society disclosed these testimonies, based on several recent visits by attorneys who met with eight detainees. Most of them were arrested during the initial ground invasion of Gaza, particularly through the so-called “safe passage” while fleeing from northern Gaza to the south. Others were arrested from shelters and Al-Shifa Hospital.
The testimonies of these eight detainees detailed the horrific torture, abuse, and terrifying attacks they endured, particularly during the initial period of their detention, before being transferred to the Negev prison.
Ongoing torture
The statement highlighted that the most horrific abuse occurred during the first period of their detention. However, this does not mean the torture stopped after they were transferred from the military camps surrounding Gaza to prisons. All the detainees continue to face dire and tragic conditions, so severe that words cannot convey the reality they live through in prison. This is especially true now, as skin diseases—particularly scabies—have spread among them, becoming another form of torture and abuse.
According to reports from Gaza detainees in Negev Prison, there are approximately 1,200 detainees from Gaza, spread across eight sections, each housing 150 detainees.
Dragged and beaten
One detainee, identified as S.D. (37 years old), has been held in Negev Prison since November 2023. He recounted his experience:
“I was arrested in November through what they call the ‘safe passage’ during my evacuation from the north to the south. I was severely beaten after my arrest, especially in sensitive areas of my body. They deliberately pulled out body hair in a painful and humiliating way while I was blindfolded and handcuffed. I was then transferred to a camp near the Gaza border along with other detainees.”
He continued, “We were subjected to continuous torture. One of the guards tied me up from behind for eight days and beat me on my back until I bled. On top of that, there were constant humiliations in every possible way.”
“In the beginning, we were forced to relieve ourselves in our clothes. We faced thirst and hunger. Our food consisted of only three pieces of bread. During that period, many detainees suffered from fractures and severe injuries, and we received no medical treatment,” he said.
Deprivation of basic needs
S.D. added, “I wore the same clothes for eight months. We were deprived of bathing for 18 days. The goal of the initial phase of beatings seemed to be our execution or causing permanent disabilities among us.”
Even now, S.D. continues, “we endure harsh conditions. We are held in a tent section. Many of us suffer from diseases, fractures, and, particularly, skin diseases that have spread due to the lack of hygiene and poor health conditions in the prison.
“We have boils and sores all over our bodies, causing severe inflammation. The situation is worsened by the foam mattresses we sleep on, which, without covers, have caused painful friction against our skin. The lack of cleanliness has made the itching and inflammation worse.”
He also noted that the 150 detainees in his section share one bathroom, and the blankets are never washed. During extreme heat, snakes and insects infest the prison. Since February, food containers have not been changed, and these containers have become a primary source of disease. In April, they experienced a severe famine, being denied food. Only now have they added one more bathroom for the 150 detainees, and it is only available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Scabies outbreak
In another testimony from detainee F.Y. (35 years old), who has also been held in Negev since November 2023, he elaborated on the spread of scabies and other skin diseases. He confirmed that the majority of detainees suffer from severe itching and inflammation. Despite this, they have not received any medical treatment, and the prison remains in a terrible, unsanitary state. The bathrooms they use are infested with worms, and since their arrest, they have not even been given nail clippers, forcing them to file their nails on the walls. The lack of hygiene has turned the prison into a disease-ridden place.
Stripped of clothing
Three other detainees—two of whom were arrested from shelters and one from Al-Shifa Hospital—testified that Israeli soldiers deliberately stripped them of their clothes after arresting them. They were severely beaten before being taken to a camp near the Gaza border, where they faced brutal torture, humiliation, hair-pulling, and deprivation of toilet use. Since being transferred to Negev Prison after multiple relocations, they have been left cold, hungry, and afflicted with scabies, which has become a form of both physical and psychological torture.
Torture grounds
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society emphasized that nearly a year after the ongoing war of extermination against the Palestinian people, Israel continues to use all means and tools available to torture detainees. The prisons and camps have essentially become torture grounds, where abuse occurs continuously.
They noted that the conditions these prisoners face are part of the broader war of extermination. The horrific and severe testimonies of these detainees only grow more alarming with time, as the abuse they suffer becomes more extreme. The prison system continues to devise new methods to strip them of their humanity.
Both organizations reiterated their call for the international human rights community to take urgent action. They demanded an end to the impunity surrounding Israel’s systematic crimes and called for the prosecution of Israeli leaders for the war crimes and the deliberate erasure of Palestinian identity.
Furthermore, Israeli authorities have imposed enforced disappearances on thousands of Gaza detainees. In recent months, limited visits have been allowed for some of them, but many are still held in secret, with thousands more missing. The Israeli authorities continue to block the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting or gathering information on the detainees, adding significant obstacles for legal teams since the start of the war.
