This article contains descriptions of sexual violence and abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
Accounts of Detention Abuse
Two Palestinian individuals have come forward with personal testimonies describing physical assaults and sexual violations while held in Israeli custody. Their accounts align with broader concerns raised by international organizations about prisoner treatment.
Last month, the United Nations Committee against Torture expressed serious alarm about what it described as indications of "organized and widespread torture and ill treatment" targeting Palestinian detainees in Israeli facilities. The committee noted these reports had "significantly increased" following the October 7, 2023 attacks led by Hamas against Israel.
Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations have similarly documented what they characterize as "systematic" mistreatment of prisoners.
Israel's Response and Prisoner Cases
Israeli authorities have rejected all accusations of abuse. However, advocacy groups argue that public anger over the October attacks and the situation of Israeli hostages in Gaza has fostered an environment where prison officials face little accountability, particularly regarding detainees accused of supporting Hamas.
In 2024, leaked surveillance footage from an Israeli military prison allegedly showed a Palestinian man from Gaza being sexually assaulted by guards. This incident prompted resignations and internal disputes within Israel's military and political leadership.
Sami al-Saei, a 46-year-old former journalist from Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, was arrested by Israeli forces in January 2024. He was held without formal charges for 16 months under Israel's administrative detention system before being released this summer.
While detained at Megiddo prison in northern Israel, al-Saei claims guards partially stripped him and raped him with a baton around March 13, 2024. "There were five or six of them," he stated. "They were laughing and enjoying it. The guard asked me: 'Are you enjoying this? We want to play with you, and bring your wife, your sister, your mother, and friends here too.'"
He added: "I was hoping to die and be done from that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating." Al-Saei said the assault lasted 15-20 minutes and included genital squeezing that caused extreme pain.
The Israel Prison Service responded to inquiries about al-Saei's allegations with a statement: "We operate in full accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety, welfare, and rights of all inmates under its custody. We are not aware of the claims described, and to the best of our knowledge, no such incidents have occurred under IPS responsibility." The service did not comment on whether investigations had been initiated or medical records existed.
Additional Cases and Political Context
Another case that has drawn significant attention involves leaked CCTV footage from Sde Teiman military prison in August 2024, allegedly showing a Palestinian detainee from Gaza being abused with a sharp object by soldiers in July 2024, resulting in rectal injuries. Five Israeli reservist soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm, though all have denied the charges.
The footage was reportedly leaked by Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned in October 2024, stating she took "full responsibility" for the disclosure. She explained she intended to "counter false propaganda against the army's law enforcement authorities."
During a parliamentary committee hearing in July 2024, Hanoch Milwidsky, a politician from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, was questioned about whether raping detainees was acceptable. He responded: "Shut up, shut up. Yes, everything is legitimate if they are Nukhba [elite Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attacks]. Everything."
A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found that most Israeli citizens oppose investigating soldiers suspected of abusing Palestinians from Gaza.
Second Testimony
Another Palestinian man, identified as Ahmed (not his real name), was arrested in January 2024 and convicted of incitement to terrorism for social media posts praising the October 7 attacks. He received a one-year prison sentence and a 3,000 shekel fine.
Ahmed alleges serious sexual abuse during detention. "The prison guards, three of them, took me into a bathroom and stripped me completely naked before forcing me to the ground," he recounted. "They put my head in the toilet bowl and a massive man, maybe 150kg (330lb), stood on my head, so I was bent over. Then, I heard the voice of someone talking to the prison dog. The dog was named Messi, like the footballer."
He described how the dog was allegedly used to sexually humiliate him, saying his trousers and underwear were removed as the animal mounted his back. "I could feel its breath... then it jumped on me... I started to scream. The more I screamed, the more they beat me until I almost lost consciousness." Ahmed said he was released after serving his full sentence, 12 days after the alleged abuse occurred.
The Israel Prison Service did not respond to requests for comment on Ahmed's allegations or whether investigations had been launched.
Broader Prisoner Situation and International Reports
Currently, over 9,000 Palestinian security detainees are held in Israeli prisons—nearly double the number before October 7, 2023. Many have not been formally charged.
In October 2024, five Israeli human rights organizations submitted a report to the UN Committee against Torture claiming "a dramatic escalation in torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment across all detention facilities, carried out with near total impunity and implemented as state policy targeting Palestinians." The report documented at least 94 Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody between the start of the Gaza war and August 2025.
Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, dismissed these allegations as "disinformation" last month, stating: "Israel is committed to upholding its obligations in line with our moral values and principles, even in the face of the challenges posed by a terrorist organization." He asserted that Israeli agencies fully comply with torture prohibitions and rejected claims of systematic sexual and gender-based violence.
Meanwhile, hostages taken on October 7 and survivors of the attacks have made allegations of sexual abuse, rape, and torture by Hamas and its allies. Hamas has publicly executed Palestinians in Gaza accused of collaborating with Israel.
There are also abuse allegations within prisons operated by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The BBC contacted the PA for comment but received no response; it has previously denied systematic abuse claims.
