How Israel's abuse of Palestinian prisoners escalated after 7 October

Long accused of violating Palestinian prisoner rights, Israel has taken abuse to unprecedented levels

An 18-year-old Palestinian suffering from scabies shows the affected parts of his body a day after his release from an Israeli prison on 31 January 2025 as part of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Palestinian factions (AFP)

An 18-year-old Palestinian suffering from scabies shows the affected parts of his body a day after his release from an Israeli prison on 31 January 2025 as part of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Israeli and Palestinian factions (AFP)

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The moment Israel began the genocide in Gaza on 8 October 2023, a parallel war has unfolded in the shadows: the systematic torture of Palestinian prisoners, in some cases, to death.

While the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons has long been documented by human rights organisations, the abuses have sharply escalated since the onset of the war.

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 B'Tselem referring to Israeli prisons as “torture camps”.

Nearly two years into the Gaza genocide, fresh reports of torture and deaths in custody continue to emerge from Israeli detention centres.

It coincides with Israel’s suspension of all humanitarian visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Palestinian prisoners, a move implemented at the outset of the war.

The abuse has spared no one, including Marwan Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian political prisoners.

A video released last week shows him looking gaunt and aged, wearing only a white undershirt, as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appears to threaten him during a visit to his cell.

Despite widespread documentation and condemnation of torture, Israeli authorities continue to withhold crucial information about the fate of many detainees, particularly those kidnapped from Gaza.

Many are classified as "unlawful combatants", with their whereabouts and conditions of detention remaining entirely unknown.

How many Palestinian prisoners are there?

Since October 2023, Israeli forces have carried out approximately 18,500 arrests across the occupied Palestinian territories, including over 570 women and 1,500 children, according to several leading Palestinian prisoner rights organisations.

This equates to an average of more than 800 arrests per month, a surge not seen in decades.

Currently, an estimated 10,800 Palestinian prisoners are being held across 23 prisons, detention facilities and interrogation centres, more than double the number held prior to 7 October 2023.

This figure excludes unaccounted-for detainees held in Israeli military camps, primarily Palestinians abducted from Gaza, whose precise numbers remain unknown but are believed to be in the thousands.

As of July, at least 49 women and over 450 children remain in detention. In addition, 3,613 Palestinians are being held under administrative detention, without charge or trial.

A further 2,378 detainees are classified as “unlawful combatants”, mostly comprising individuals abducted from Gaza, as well as some kidnapped from Lebanon and Syria.

According to available records, this marks the highest number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel since the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising that lasted from 2000 to 2005.

What violations are taking place?

Palestinian detainees have reported widespread and severe mistreatment in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023, abuses that leading rights groups describe as systematic crimes.

Testimonies from current and former prisoners, collected by organisations including Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS), and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, point to patterns of abuse that include starvation, medical neglect, physical violence, humiliation, sexual assault, theft and unprecedented levels of mass solitary confinement.

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In August 2024, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accused the government of implementing a policy of institutionalised abuse and torture against Palestinian detainees across all facilities since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Some of the most serious allegations involve sexual violence.

Several former detainees have told the United Nations and media outlets that they were routinely strip-searched, beaten on their genitals, and subjected to invasive procedures, including the forced insertion of metal objects.

In a particularly disturbing video that circulated on social media, one released Palestinian detainee claimed he had witnessed multiple rapes and alleged that Israeli soldiers used dogs to sexually assault prisoners.

While Israeli authorities have denied widespread abuse, human rights organisations have called for independent investigations into the treatment of Palestinian detainees, especially those held without charge or access to legal representation.

Why are doctors and journalists targeted?

Among those detained are scores of doctors, emergency responders, journalists, and activists.

Alongside prominent political prisoners, they are reportedly subjected to harsher treatment and greater abuse, according to several testimonies.

In August 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Israel has arbitrarily detained and tortured Palestinian healthcare workers kidnapped from Gaza.

Israeli forces have detained at least 360 healthcare workers from Gaza, many of whom were seized while carrying out their duties in hospitals.

They include the likes of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was detained in December during an Israeli army raid.

He has reportedly faced isolation and numerous severe beatings since then, according to his lawyer.

Another prominent figure, Adnan al-Bursh - a renowned Palestinian surgeon and professor of orthopaedic medicine - died under torture while in Israeli custody after being abducted from Gaza during an earlier raid.

Subsequent reports indicated that he had endured extreme physical, psychological and sexual torture prior to his death.

Meanwhile, the arrest of journalists has also surged, with nearly 200 media workers detained since 7 October. At least 55 remain in custody, according to the PPS.

While some journalists face charges of “incitement”, others are being held under administrative detention based on undisclosed “secret files”.

In addition, some of the most prominent and longest-serving Palestinian prisoners are also subjected to especially harsh treatment.

Former detainees have previously told MEE that figures such as Barghouti and senior Hamas leaders - including Abdullah Barghouti, Hasan Salameh, and Ibrahim Hamed - face physical abuse, humiliation and prolonged solitary confinement.

How many prisoners have died under torture?

Under prolonged and systematic torture, numerous prisoners have died in Israeli custody since 7 October.

While at least 76 identified detainees have been officially reported dead, the true number is feared to be much higher, as Israeli authorities continue to withhold critical information.

Many of those who died were young and had no prior health issues, according to their families - as in the recent case of 20-year-old Ahmed Tazaza from Jenin.

The circumstances surrounding these deaths have largely been kept secret by Israeli prison authorities.

To date, none of these deaths have led to legal proceedings or accountability.

Several human rights organisations have called for an independent investigation into the causes behind the high death toll.

Palestinian man Faouzi Abdel Aal, 21, receiving treatment for his injuries at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, south Gaza, after release from Israeli detainment (AFP/Bashar Taleb) — Faouzi Abdel Aal, 21, receiving treatment for his injuries at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, after his release from Israeli detainment (AFP/Bashar Taleb)

Torture and physical abuse are compounded by poor sanitation conditions, starvation and medical negligence.

These factors have led to the spread of skin diseases and malnutrition among prisoners.

Palestinian prisoner rights groups say they face difficulty in tracking the exact number of ill detainees due to widespread illnesses and the systematic denial of medical care.

What are the conditions like for child prisoners?

Like other categories, there has been a surge in Palestinian children being detained in the past two years.

At least 450 minors are currently held behind bars, some as young as 12 years old.

They have have not been spared Israeli abuse.

Israel is arbitrarily jailing Palestinian children in record numbers. This must stop

Child testimonies gathered by leading rights group confirm they face starvation, abuse and inhumane treatment.

Some children were previously released injured and with blood stains on their clothes.

In November, the Israeli parliament passed a law allowing the detention of children as young as 12.

The last also includes a three-year provision allowing courts to jail minors in prison instead of juvenile facilities for up to 10 days if they are deemed to pose a threat to others.

According to rights organisation Save the Children, Palestinian children are the only children in the world who are systematically prosecuted in military courts.

The NGO said an estimated 10,000 Palestinian children have been held in the Israeli military detention system over the past 20 years. This number is likely to be higher.

What is administrative detention?

Nearly a third of those currently imprisoned are held in administrative detention.

The practice is a controversial Israeli policy that allows Palestinians to be imprisoned without charge or trial.

They are held for periods of three to six months, which can be extended indefinitely.

Detainees are not informed of the evidence against them and have no right to appeal.

Its use has increased since the start of the war, including against women and children.

In March, Israel issued an administrative detention order against 14-year-old Muin Ghassan Fahed Salahat, making him the youngest child administrative detainee on record, according to the watchdog Defence for Children International Palestine (DCIP).

As with other administrative detainees, Salahat is now being held without charge or trial on "secret evidence" not disclosed to him or his lawyer.

Meanwhile, many detainees entitled to legal representation under Israeli law have increasingly been denied access to legal counsel in the last two years.

Lawyers report being barred from meeting their clients or reviewing any evidence, and face a series of bureaucratic obstacles that make it nearly impossible to mount an effective defence.

What is the 'unlawful combatant' law?

Since 7 October, the Israeli military has established detention facilities to hold Palestinians abducted from the Gaza Strip.

Some of the most severe cases of reported torture have occurred in these facilities, including the notorious Sde Teiman camp.

Most detainees are held under the “unlawful combatant” law - legislation originally passed in 2002 to hold Lebanese citizens not under Israeli jurisdiction for indefinitely renewable periods. It was later used to detain Palestinians from Gaza.

The law was amended in December 2023 to expand the military’s authority in ways that rights groups describe as flagrant violations of international law.

Those include permission to detain people without a court order for up to 45 days, which can be indefinitely renewed.

Access to legal representation can also be denied by the military for the first 45 days of imprisonment.

Additionally, Israeli authorities can withhold information about an individual's whereabouts and conditions.

At least 2,378 people are currently held under the “unlawful combatant” law, including people abducted from Lebanon and Syria during Israeli ground raids there.

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