A recent investigation launched by Al Mezan showed that since October 7 and the genocidal war “Israel” has launched on Gaza, Israeli occupation forces abducted over 3,000 Palestinians in mass arrest campaigns.
Evidence shows that women, children, the elderly, as well as professionals, such as medical personnel, teachers, and journalists, were all targeted and subjected to extreme forms of torture. Al Mezan noted that no legal protection was provided for detainees, a blatant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Around 1,650 Palestinians from Gaza are currently incarcerated in solitary at the “Nafha” and “Negev (Ketziot)” prisons, under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which gives Israeli occupation forces the power to arbitrarily detain Palestinians at any suspicion whatsoever. “Israel” does not allow information on the prisoners to be shared and denies them any form of legal representation or help.
Moreover, Palestinians detained under the Unlawful Combatants Law are not considered prisoners of war under the Third Geneva Convention or civilian detainees under the Fourth Geneva Convention, leaving them vulnerable and unprotected by international law.
‘Ashkelon’ and ‘Ofer’ prisons
In the “Ashkelon” and “Ofer” prisons, 300 Palestinians, including 10 children, are incarcerated. An Al Mezan lawyer was able to visit 40 detainees and provide details on the harrowing mistreatment and cruelty they were subjected to. Accounts revealed that detainees were forced to strip naked, were blindfolded, and had their hands tied. They were also subjected to physical abuse, sleep deprivation, and deliberate starvation as a form of collective punishment.
A testimony provided by a 19-year-old detainee revealed that he was tortured since the moment of his arrest. While interrogated, Israeli forces resorted to extreme measures, such as ripping out three of his fingernails with pliers and unleashing guard dogs on him. Moreover, he was blindfolded and forced to sit in stressful positions for elongated periods, before being locked in solitary confinement for over 70 days while being starved and fatigued.
Describing the state of shared cells, the detainee noted that mattresses were brought in at 10 pm and removed four hours later every day. Breakfast consisted of 10 slices of bread and a tablespoon of labneh to be shared among 12 detainees, lunch was three slices of tomatoes and a plate of rice, and dinner consisted of one boiled egg or a can of tuna for all 12 detainees. Palestinian detainees were also forced to shower in ice-cold water.
Al Mezan’s lawyer relayed that all detainees had back curvatures from being forced to walk with their heads down, wrist marks from having their hands tied, suffered from emaciation, fatigue, and starvation, and showed clear signs of psychological damage. Most detainees could not remember the names of people present in their rooms. One detainee was described as being skeletal with bruises on his face.
In the lawyer’s 20 years of work, he said he had never seen such horrendous conditions as those observed in the “Ofer” prison.
Medical neglect and torture kill 2 Palestinian detainees
In March, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published the forensic findings regarding two Palestinian prisoners who were martyred in Israeli prisons following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.
According to the outlet, Mohammed al-Sabbar, 21, an administrative detainee who was martyred in February, died due to Israeli medical neglect, as he had been suffering from a severe illness without receiving adequate medical attention.
Meanwhile, bruises found on the body of Abdulrahman al-Bahsh, 23, indicate possible torture he was subjected to during his time in Israeli prisons.
Al-Sabbar has been detained since May 2022 and has been denied medical treatment in the Israeli prison despite suffering from health issues related to the stomach and intestines, requiring specialized treatment and specific dietary needs.
Palestinian organizations focusing on prisoners’ rights have accused “Israel” of committing two crimes against al-Sabbar; his continued arbitrary detention under a “secret file” pretext, and a medical crime involving denial of treatment. He is the eighth prisoner to die in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023.
Abdul Rahman al-Bahsh, from Nablus, was martyred in the Israeli “Megiddo” prison, where he had been detained since May 31, 2022, with a 35-month sentence. He was the first prisoner to die in Israeli prisons in 2024.
It is worth noting that the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs reported the martyrdom of at least 14 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons since 7 October 2023, while Haaretz reported the martyrdom of 27 detainees from Gaza during the same period.
Legal basis of genocide, crimes against humanity charges
As per Article II(b) of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, causing serious bodily or mental harm to a group of people constitutes a genocide act. This means that “Israel”, due to its violations against Palestinian detainees in its prisons, can be legally implicated with genocide and crimes against humanity.
Consequently, Al Mezan called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to take the necessary steps, hold those responsible accountable, and prosecute them accordingly under international law.
Al Mezan’s Director General Issam Younis said, “The evidence and testimonies gathered by our lawyer reveal a level of reprisals and torture that lacks any semblance of humanity. What Israel is doing to Palestinian detainees forms part of its genocide against the Palestinian people. It is imperative to halt this genocide and ensure accountability for those responsible for heinous genocidal acts.”
Moreover, Al Mezan urged the international community to uphold its moral and legal duty to speak out against the Israeli genocide and hold “Israel” responsible for the violations it had committed as the occupying power. The Human Rights Center stated that this includes protecting Palestinian detainees, as well as preventing the torture inflicted on them by the occupation.
