Palestinian bodies released by Israel came from infamous Sde Teiman detention centre

Scores of Palestinian bodies recently handed over by Israel to Gaza were found to come from the infamous Sde Teiman detention centre, where Israeli forces subjected Palestinians to severe violations.

Muneer al-Boursh, director general of the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that documents found inside each body bag revealed that they all originated from Sde Teiman, with some tags indicating that DNA tests had been done on some of the remains. 

Israeli forces have detained thousands of Palestinians since Gaza genocide began in October 2023, many of whom have been held and interrogated at Sde Teiman.

Torture, rape and killings are rife at the facility, with media and rights investigations, including by Middle East Eye, CNN and the New York Times, finding widespread examples of abuse.

Forensic examination of the recently released 195 Palestinian remains were consistent with such testimonies.

Boursh noted that marks on the bodies indicated systematic torture, crushings by vehicles such as tanks, strangulation, burns, severe wounds and lacerations suggesting the use of autopsies. "These are horrifying sights," he said.

There have also been accusations that bodies were returned without organs, reviving fears that Israeli pathologists were taking them without consent - a practice Israel admitted to in 2009 but insists ended in the 1990s.

Boursh said he "does not rule out the possibility that some bodies had their organs stolen, but we're waiting to be cautious until it is revealed directly".

A source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis previously told MEE several bodies bore signs of severe abuse, including strangulation marks, broken bones and mutilation.

Some were found with their hands and feet bound and their eyes blindfolded. Others were missing limbs.

The Red Cross said it facilitated the transfer of 15 Palestinian bodies from Israel to Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal, taking the total handed over to 165.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli… pic.twitter.com/bJJ9JkHoGw

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 21, 2025

The handover of remains comes under the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached nearly two weeks ago to end the war on Gaza and exchange prisoners and remains.

A total of around 400 Palestinian bodies are expected to be returned as part of the exchange, alongside the remains of 28 Israeli captives.

'Torture camps'

While the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons has long been documented by human rights organisations, the abuses have sharply escalated since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Established after the Gaza genocide began, Sde Teiman became a makeshift centre to hold Palestinian detainees.

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Since October 2023, thousands of Palestinians from Gaza have been detained by the Israeli military there, often held without charge or evidence of wrongdoing.

Arrests, deaths in custody, and allegations of abuse have all surged to record levels.

Both international and Israeli human rights groups have condemned the abuses, with leading Israel's B'Tselem referring to Israeli prisons as “torture camps”.

More than two years into the Gaza genocide, fresh reports of torture and deaths in custody continue to emerge from Israeli detention centres, even after the ceasefire has come into effect.

On Monday, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, a Palestinian campaign group, announced the death of 69-year-old detainee Kamel Muhammad al-Ajrami, the second prisoner death in the past week.

So far, the bodies of 80 Palestinians who have died in Israeli detention since October 2023 have been identified.