Whats Happening to Hamas and Hezbollah Prisoners Inside Israel’s Underground Prison?

On Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan revealed that Israeli occupation authorities are detaining dozens of elite fighters from the al-Qassam Brigades — the military wing of Hamas — as well as members of the Radwan Force affiliated with Hezbollah, in a newly established underground prison located within Ramla Prison. The facility, built in September last year, is known as “Rakevet” (Hebrew for the cyclamen flower).

According to the broadcaster, this underground site is described as a sealed “concrete vault” in which prisoners are subjected to strict 24-hour surveillance via smart cameras that monitor even the smallest movements inside their cells. The conditions have been described as the bare minimum permitted under international law.

Total Isolation Below Ground

The prisoners — some of whom, according to the Israeli narrative, were involved in the October 7 operation — live in total isolation in fully enclosed cells. They are allowed out for just one hour per day to access what the prison administration calls a “yard,” which is, in reality, a fortified concrete room with a ceiling that lets in only faint sunlight through metal bars.

In what has been described as a psychological and repressive measure, prison authorities have mounted a large image of the destroyed city of Gaza on the wall of the “yard,” making it the only scene visible to prisoners during their limited hour outside the cell. During this hour, prisoners are required to complete a series of tasks: showering in under seven minutes, cleaning their cells, and walking within the confined space — all without any verbal interaction or communication with other detainees.

Heightened Restrictions and Coded Identities for Guards

According to the head of the Rakevet section, who spoke to the Hebrew-language broadcaster, all guards operate without revealing their real identities. They wear badges with only operational code names and numbers, part of a broader, high-security protocol. Guards are required to remain in a constant state of alert.

The official described the section as a “first-of-its-kind operational experiment” within the Israeli prison service, explicitly stating that it houses what are considered “the most dangerous prisoners” — referring to elite Hamas fighters, naval commandos, and Radwan Force members from Hezbollah.

He also noted that the prison staff received specialised training, particularly “psychological preparation,” to deal with the “daily challenges” of managing the unit. The role, he added, demands extreme composure and emotional restraint to avoid what he described as “emotional engagement” with the prisoners.

Absolute Solitary Confinement and Severe Limitations

According to Kan, detainees are not permitted to leave the underground section under any circumstances — not even for legal consultations or medical treatment. All such services are conducted inside the unit itself, further deepening the prisoners’ state of isolation and psychological deprivation.

When a guard enters a cell, the prisoner is required to assume a squatting position, hands behind the back, and face down toward the floor until the door slot is shut. No form of verbal communication is allowed between inmates. Meals are delivered silently three times a day.

Although the occupation authorities attempt to justify these procedures under international law, human rights organisations have labelled them as forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment — especially since many of the detainees have not been afforded fair trials and remain in prolonged solitary confinement under harsh psychological and physical conditions.

A Broader Climate of Escalation

These measures coincide with rising tensions along the northern border with Lebanon and the ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. Amid this, the Israeli prison system has escalated its already brutal treatment of both Palestinian and Lebanese detainees, in the absence of any real international oversight or intervention from major human rights bodies.

According to the head of the Rakevet section, this “pilot model” remains in its early stages — raising serious concerns that it could be expanded to other prisons and institutionalised as a permanent system for targeting political and military prisoners from resistance movements.

It is worth noting that Ramla Prison is one of Israel’s oldest and most heavily guarded prisons, with a documented history of inmate deaths due to medical neglect and torture. The addition of this underground facility adds further alarm over the fate of those held inside it.