By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Harrowing testimonies reveal systemic torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, with urgent calls for international action.

The Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights has made an urgent appeal to the international community to investigate the violations endured by dozens of Palestinian detainees held at Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman detention camp, the Quds News Network (QNN) has reported.

This demand follows a visit by the organization’s attorney to the camp on January 8, 2025, which revealed horrific details of systematic torture and inhumane treatment of the detainees.

The detainees, who were arrested from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, testified being brutally beaten in various forms from the moment of their arrest, the report said.

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This included being forced to strip, blindfolded and handcuffed before being subjected to severe physical assaults. In addition, they were placed in large pits and led to believe they were about to be buried alive. They were also forced onto trucks in a humiliating manner, during which the beatings with batons and other forms of abuse continued.

Al-Dameer stated that the detainees were held at the Sde Teman camp in inhumane conditions for up to five days. During this time, they were handcuffed and blindfolded without access to food or water.

‘The Disco’

They endured further abuse in the so-called “interrogation barracks,” known as “the disco,” where loud music was blasted, causing severe psychological and physical harm to the detainees, the report said.

Al-Dameer urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to act immediately to visit detention centers and assess the conditions of the detainees.

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The organization also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, emphasizing that these practices are not just violations of international law but part of a systematic policy by the Israeli government against Palestinian detainees.

Al-Dameer also stressed the need for the United Nations special rapporteurs to address this situation and fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities toward Palestinian detainees.

Horrific Testimonies

The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society also issued a report this week documenting the testimonies of Gaza detainees including one detainee having been burnt with boiling water and another in which soldiers urinated on detainees.

The report included testimonies from 23 detainees visited between January 6 and January 8, 2025, in Naqab Prison and Naftali Camp.

Here are some of the testimonies:

‘Burned with Boiling Water’

KN, age 45, detained since December 2023 at Naqab Prison: “Since my arrest, I was severely beaten to the point of suffering fractures in my body as they tried to force a confession. I was held in a camp near Gaza for 58 days—it was like the torment of the afterlife: constant shackling, beatings, humiliation, and insults. Upon being transferred to Naqab Prison, I was burned with boiling water poured from an electric kettle. The burns are still visible on my body.”

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‘Covered in Holes Caused by Scabies’

AH, age 21, detained since February 2024 at Naqab Prison: “I was arrested during an evacuation and transferred to a camp near Gaza for 12 days, then moved to a camp in Al-Quds, then to Ofer Prison, and finally to Naqab. Every transfer felt like a journey of torment and death. Today, I am covered in sores, wounds, and holes caused by scabies. I sleep hungry and wake up hungry. On top of this, I suffer from an eye condition; I’ve been blind in my right eye since childhood, and now my left eye is in serious danger.”

Scabies is Used in Israeli Prisons as ‘Harassment and Torture’ Tool – Palestinian Prisoners Club

‘They Beat Us, Urinated on Us’

MH, age 21, detained since December 2024 at Naqab Prison: “I was arrested with my family. The first days were horrific—I was tortured and mistreated. I was taken to Al-Barawi yard, where I endured an entire day of brutal beatings. They beat us to the point of slaughter for an entire day.’They then moved us to another location, sprayed us with sewage water, and urinated on us. Later, we were transferred to a camp for 27 days, where we were kept kneeling, blindfolded, and shackled. Eventually, we were moved to Naqab Prison. Today, we live in slow death and torment around the clock.”

According to his lawyer, MH was presented in court wearing a torn summer undershirt, shivering from the cold, with his body covered in scabies, the report said.

‘Beaten, Stripped Naked’

MA, age 25: “I was arrested by the Israeli army from a school, beaten, stripped naked, and subjected to field interrogation. I was transferred to a camp near Gaza, then to one in Al-Quds, and later to Ofer and Naqab prisons. Throughout, I was blindfolded and shackled. Most detainees here suffer from increasing exhaustion and malnutrition, with cases of fainting becoming frequent. The situation is very hard. The prisoners are hungry, sick, and shivering all night from the cold.”

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Artificial Eye Lost Due to Beatings

M.D. said: “I was arrested from a shelter with my family and held in a camp near Gaza for 60 days before being transferred to Naqab Prison. Due to the severe beatings I endured, my artificial eye fell out, leaving me with a hollow socket. The soldiers didn’t stop there; they even took my glasses.”

Denial of Medical Care

The prisoner organizations said that the testimonies from detainees in the Naftali detention camp reflect the “same level of brutality seen in other facilities, albeit with minor differences in conditions.”

Key testimonies include: Severe torture and assaults during the initial arrest and interrogation phases as well as denial of medical care and medical crimes.

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One detainee with cancer, who underwent multiple surgeries before the arrest, now faces deteriorating health due to lack of treatment, the organizations said.

Additionally, many detainees reported the loss of family members during the ongoing war. One detainee lost his wife and relatives, and his father passed away while he was imprisoned, leading to an emotional breakdown during the lawyer’s visit.

Women and Children

The prisoner organizations said that as of January, the Israeli Prison Administration reported 1,882 Gaza detainees, including four women in Damon Prison and dozens of children in Megiddo Prison and the Ofer detention camp.

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However, there is no clear estimate of the total number of detainees from Gaza with enforced disappearances making the actual number of detainees believed to be in the thousands.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya’s Status

The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, is also being held in Israeli detention after he was detained following a raid on the hospital in December.

He was reported to be held at the Sde Teiman prison but on Monday, the Prisoners Media Office announced that Dr. Abu Safiya was transferred Ashkelon court “without charge,” citing the doctor’s son.

Dr. Abu Safiya – Israel Extends Detention, Maintains Legal Counsel Ban

Last week, an Israeli court extended the detention without charges of Dr. Abu Safiya, until February 13, 2025.

In a statement, the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights based in Gaza said Israeli authorities also ruled last Wednesday to extend the ban on Dr. Abu Safiya’s access to legal counsel until January 22.

“This marks the second such extension since his arrest” on December 27 last year, the statement noted.

Detainee’s Death

The organizations announced on Monday the death of a detainee at the Ramon Prison, in southern Israel.

The deceased was identified as Motaz Abu Zanid, 35, from the town of Dura, south of Hebron (Al Khalil) in the southern West Bank. He was under administrative detention without charge, and died at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in southern Israel, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Palestinian Detainee Dies in Israeli Prison – Toll Hits 55 since October 2023

The report noted that Abu Zanid, detained on June 27, 2023, had no prior health issues before his arrest. His death brought the total number of identified deaths in detention to 55, since October 2023, according to Palestinian prisoner organizations.

The total number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is estimated at around 10,400, according to data from the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society.

Among the prisoners are 89 female prisoners, no less than 345 children, and 3428 administrative detainees, according to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.

(PC, QNN)