By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

A newly reopened underground prison in Israel houses detainees from Hamas and Hezbollah, in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.

Israel has opened an underground prison for detainees from Hamas and Hezbollah groups where they are denied access to sunlight, according to Israeli media cited by the Anadolu news agency.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the facility, located in central Israel, is designed to house “the most dangerous individuals” from Hamas’s elite forces and Hezbollah’s Radwan Unit.

“This is their natural place, underground,” far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police, reportedly told KAN.

The broadcaster said some 75 detainees were currently being held at the underground prison.

“Even the small window in the ward has been sealed off for the detainees,” it added.

‘Small Amounts of Food’

Describing the conditions in the underground prison as harsh, KAN said detainees there are shackled and confined to their cells for 23 hours a day.

“They are allowed only one brief opportunity per day to step into a small, enclosed yard,” it added. “Even this small yard is completely closed and the sunlight can’t reach it, and detainees are allowed to go out into it once a day.”

Israel opens underground prison for Hamas, Hezbollah detainees: Report https://t.co/jF0JVRqaMQ pic.twitter.com/8I51jCMJXg

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 10, 2025

According to KAN, detainees in the underground prison are given a mattress and small amounts of food.

“This facility houses most of the dangerous detainees, who are not expected to be released for a long time, if ever,” it added.

‘Cutting-Edge Technology’

The Israeli Ynet news website reported that the Rakefet wing was “a highly classified underground complex at Nafha Prison” where the detainees were being kept.

The wing, it said, was “one of the most advanced and secure in the IPS (Israel Prison Service), equipped with cutting-edge technology. Smart cameras are installed in every cell, capable of monitoring and tracking every movement of the prisoners.”

“I must say, I hope to convince the Prime Minister to pass the death penalty for terrorists”

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led journalists on a tour of the high-security Rakefet wing of Nitzan Prison, where Hamas and Hezbollah prisoners are held… pic.twitter.com/LVBm9S2v2z

— TRT World (@trtworld) January 9, 2025

The underground facility was reopened after it was shut down in the 1970s when it housed some of Israel’s most dangerous criminals, the report added.

It has however been reopened due to the ongoing war that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

“The conditions in the Rakefet wing are among the harshest in the IPS,” the facility’s commander is quoted by Ynet news as saying.

Claims of Legal Compliance

The commander claimed that the detainees participated in the October 7 resistance operation “and they are extremely dangerous, highly trained operatives. The IPS must remain vigilant at all times, as extraordinary events can happen at any moment.”

The IPS also claimed that the conditions in the facility “comply with international law, with each prisoner receiving one hour of daily exercise.”

‘Welcome to Hell’ – Rights Groups Confront Israel’s Genocide

According to Ynet, the wing “is equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance systems, including biometric cameras installed in every cell to continuously monitor the prisoners’ presence and vital signs.”

“These cameras allow the IPS to know exactly who is in each cell at any given time,” it added.

Ongoing Genocide

The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

📊 The death toll in Gaza may be 64,260—41% higher than official figures, says a Lancet study.

Nearly 3% of Gaza’s population has died, most of them women, children, & elderly. This excludes deaths from healthcare collapse or starvation.#GazaGenocide #HumanRights… pic.twitter.com/fcu8J3DMLa

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 10, 2025

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 46,006 Palestinians have been killed, and 109,378 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.

The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.

Humanitarian Disaster

Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.

The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.

(Anadolu, PC)