Revealing the severe torture of Palestinians at Israel’s prison

According to a recent report, Israeli officials are accused of torturing Palestinians at the Ofer detention camp, which was set up to house detainees from Gaza during the ongoing conflict. The camp, which is run by the military, is situated in the occupied West Bank between Jerusalem and Ramallah, adjacent to a prison of the same name.

19 testimonies provided to +972 and Local Call claim that the location has seen Palestinian detainees subjected to torture and other cruel treatment, which is similar to what has been documented at the infamous Sde Teiman prison.

Former Palestinian prisoner Rami said the facility was just as cruel as Sde Teiman. “I was severely tortured,” Rami said. “We were forced to kneel with our hands tied from sunrise until midnight. Guards beat us on every part of our bodies. I was given electric shocks every two days.”

The torture was carried out against all inmates without exceptions, he added. “All detainees at Ofer were tortured, beaten and humiliated. We received food only once a day.”

Rami, a 42-year-old, was first arrested by the Israeli army at al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza in February and was then held at the Sde Teiman detention centre, the report said. He was later transferred to Ofer. “I thought I was being returned to Gaza, but I found myself in another prison,” he said.

According to testimonies from current and former prisoners, Palestinians in Ofer report severe mistreatment, including being handcuffed and shackled 24 hours a day, seven days a week - even while sleeping, eating and using the restroom. Inmates are allowed only brief weekly showers.

In addition, testimonies detail frequent beatings by guards, severe crowding, humiliation, and poor hygiene; one account even claims a beating that killed the victim.

Due process is not applicable to those detained at the camp because they are categorized as "unlawful combatants." They are detained indefinitely on charges of aiding terrorism.

Paralyzed due to torture

Abuse of Palestinians transferred from Sde Teiman was reported in July by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, a Palestinian prisoner's organization.

Following investigations and reports earlier this year that revealed severe torture inflicted on prisoners kidnapped from Gaza after October 2023, Sde Teiman has also come under fire.

Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, acknowledged after the disclosures that conditions in Israeli prisons "have indeed worsened" since the start of the war in Gaza, saying, "I am proud of that."

Rafiq, a 59-year-old from Gaza, recounted harrowing experiences at both facilities, describing torture, humiliation and the constant fear of never seeing his family again. 

“One of the young men detained with us was killed during his release. [The soldiers] struck him on the head, and he died immediately,” he said.

“I lost 43kg during my detention due to the lack of food. The only comfort I had was thinking about my family, which helped me dissociate from the reality of imprisonment.”

After a month in custody, Rafiq was freed, but the torture left him with physical and psychological scars.

" I'm taking a lot of psychiatric drugs, and the torture has paralyzed my hands. Every day, I walk dozens of kilometers to wear myself out and go to sleep. Because of that detention, I lost my life. "