In brief
In a shocking report, two Palestinian men have come forward to the BBC detailing severe abuse, including sexual violence, while detained in Israeli prisons. The stories emerge against a backdrop of increasing reports highlighting systematic ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees, prompting urgent calls for investigation into these disturbing allegations. The United Nations Committee against Torture has expressed deep concerns about the treatment of prisoners, urging accountability and protection of human rights.
This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and violence which some readers may find distressing.
Two Palestinian men have told the BBC they personally experienced the kind of beatings and sexual abuse highlighted in recent reports into the treatment of prisoners in Israeli detention.
The United Nations Committee against Torture said last month that it was deeply concerned about reports indicating a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. It said the allegations had gravely intensified after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Other reports by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have detailed what they say is systematic abuse.
Israel has denied all the allegations, but rights groups say the fury in the country over the 7 October attacks and the treatment of Israeli hostages in Gaza has created a culture of impunity within the prison services, especially towards detainees who have expressed support for Hamas and its attacks.
Last year, leaked CCTV footage from inside an Israeli military prison showed a Palestinian man from Gaza allegedly being sexually abused by prison guards. That led to a resignation and recriminations at the top of Israel's military and political establishment.
Sami al-Saei, 46, now works in a furniture shop, but he used to be a freelance journalist in Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank.
He was arrested in January 2024 after working with reporters to arrange interviews with Hamas members. Detained without charge for 16 months, he recounts horrific abuse during his time in Megiddo prison, including a severe sexual assault that he bravely chose to speak about despite societal stigma in the conservative Palestinian community.
Another individual, who wished to remain anonymous, shared similar shocking accounts of abuse in Israeli detention, detailing severe humiliation and torture inflicted upon him, which he likened to a scene with a prison dog named Messi used for further humiliation.
The backdrop to these disturbing claims is a wider situation concerning over 9,000 Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons, many without official charges. The UN Committee against Torture has expressed broad concern not just regarding these recent allegations but also Israel's response and the substantial humanitarian crisis affecting Gaza.
As both international and local bodies continue to investigate these claims, the need for accountability and human rights protections has never been more urgent.
