By Dr. Noor ul Huda
Chairperson, Alliance Mind Empowerment Council
ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (Diplomatic Star): A new wave of testimonies and human rights documentation has renewed grave concerns over the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, with rights groups alleging that Israel’s detention system has evolved into an institutionalised network of torture since the start of the Gaza onslaught in October 2023.
In July 2024, Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem released a report titled Welcome to Hell, documenting what it described as the transformation of Israel’s military and civilian prisons into coordinated torture facilities.
As of January 2026, recent testimonies from 21 Palestinians released under the October 2025 exchange agreement, along with continued monitoring by rights groups, suggest that the situation has further deteriorated rather than improved.
According to available data, the number of Palestinians held by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) remains significantly higher than pre-war levels despite the release of around 2,000 detainees in late 2025.
As of September 2025, a total of 10,863 Palestinians were reportedly in custody, including 3,521 administrative detainees held without trial, 2,623 Gaza residents classified as “unlawful combatants,” 350 minors and 48 women.
Human rights organisations have documented at least 84 Palestinian deaths in custody since October 2023, including one minor, attributing these deaths to starvation, medical neglect and severe physical abuse. Other groups place the death toll as high as 94.
Recent testimonies have also highlighted allegations of widespread sexual and gender-based violence in detention centres.
Released prisoners have described forced stripping, filming of naked detainees, severe genital injuries caused by beatings or dog attacks, and sexual assault involving the use of objects during interrogation.
One former detainee, Tamer Qarmut, released in October 2025, alleged that he was sexually assaulted during torture while in custody.
Beyond physical abuse, detainees have reported sustained psychological torture. Accounts describe the use of electric shocks, stun grenades inside confined cells, burning with cigarettes or boiling liquids, and prolonged exposure to extreme noise.
In facilities such as the so-called “Disco Room,” prisoners allege they were subjected to deafening music for days, resulting in hearing damage and mental breakdowns. Others reported months-long confinement in complete darkness in underground prison wings.
Starvation and medical neglect have also emerged as central allegations. In April 2024, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly stated that prison conditions would be reduced to the “minimum required by law,” including food provisions.
Although Israel’s High Court ruled in September 2025 that detainees must receive legally adequate food, testimonies indicate that hunger remains widespread, with prisoners reporting extreme weight loss and inadequate meals.
Skin diseases such as scabies have reportedly spread rapidly, with more than 1,400 cases documented by November 2025, while access to treatment remains limited.
Rights advocates warn that these practices are no longer hidden but are increasingly defended by Israeli officials as policy tools.
They argue that the lack of sustained international pressure has enabled the entrenchment of abuse within the detention system.
Human rights groups have called on the international community to demand an immediate end to alleged torture and ill-treatment, ensure independent access to detention facilities, and hold those responsible accountable under international law, stressing that the protection of human dignity must remain a global obligation.
