Shocking Allegations: Palestinian Detainees Reveal Abuse in Israeli Prisons

Sun Dec 21 2025 16:35:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Two Palestinian men share their harrowing accounts of sexual abuse and torture in Israeli detention facilities, shedding light on a grim pattern of mistreatment condemned by human rights groups.

In a recent interview, two Palestinian men disclosed serious allegations of sexual abuse and torture experienced while held in Israeli prisons. The United Nations and various human rights organizations have expressed grave concerns over the treatment of Palestinian detainees, highlighting a possible widespread pattern of mistreatment following the escalation of violence since October 2023. Both detainees reported brutal assaults by prison guards, raising urgent calls for accountability and justice.

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 the town of Tulkarm, in the north of the occupied West Bank. He was arrested by Israeli soldiers in January 2024 after working with reporters to arrange interviews with members of Hamas and other armed groups.

He was detained without being charged for 16 months, under a controversial Israeli system known as administrative detention, before being released this summer. While he was being held in Megiddo prison in northern Israel, he said, the guards partially stripped him and raped him with a baton on or around 13 March 2024.

He said he had decided to speak to the BBC about his allegations of sexual abuse, despite the risk of being ostracised in the often conservative Palestinian society in the West Bank.

There were five or six of them, he said. 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 said the assault lasted around 15 to 20 minutes, during which time the guards also squeezed his genitals, causing extreme pain.

Ahmed, not his real name, was sentenced for one year in prison for making social media posts praising the 7 October attacks. He alleges serious sexual abuse while in Israeli detention. He detailed the horrific treatment he endured, including being stripped, beaten, and humiliated by guards.

The UN has documented at least 94 deaths in Israeli custody and raised concerns over the treatment of Palestinians, describing it as systematic torture and abuse.