In the Israeli Army’s Torture Chambers; Palestinian Prisoners Subjected to Boiling Water, Electric Shocks, and Dog Attacks

According to Rokna, citing Haaretz, Israeli human rights organizations and the UN Committee Against Torture emphasized in a report that, since October 7, 2023, Israeli prisons have become torture chambers for Palestinian detainees.

Israeli human rights organizations confirmed to the UN Committee Against Torture that since October 7, 2023, with the onset of the Gaza war, the Israeli government has repeatedly and systematically violated UN anti-torture laws, making torture an integral part of the detention-to-imprisonment process, while the judiciary and the Tel Aviv government have taken no action to halt these violations.

The report details multiple instances of torture of Palestinian prisoners and the detention of Palestinian inmates under harsh conditions. Detainees are held outdoors and in adverse weather conditions with their eyes and hands bound. They are deprived of hygiene and medical care, forced to sleep on the ground for long hours, and subjected to inappropriate and degrading treatment.

The report states that Palestinian prisoners are exposed to beatings, burning with boiling water, dog attacks, harassment with disturbing noises, sexual assaults, and even assaults with various objects. Additionally, a policy of forced starvation and deliberate denial of medical services is applied to Palestinian detainees.

According to the report, Israel, by implementing the “illegal combatants” law to imprison Palestinians without trial, has detained over 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza since the start of the war, depriving them of their basic rights.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, at least 94 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli prisons, and complaints of torture over the past two years have increased from 66 cases to 238, with no investigations conducted.

UN Committee: Israel Effectively Implements Torture Policy

At the same time, the UN Committee Against Torture announced that there is evidence showing Israel "effectively implements a systematic and widespread state policy of torture."

According to BBC, this committee regularly reviews records from all countries that have signed the Convention Against Torture and receives evidence from governments and human rights organizations.

During the review of Israel’s case, both Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups presented painful and concerning details about the conditions in Israeli detention centers. It is reported that thousands of Palestinians have been in Israeli custody following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

Under Israeli laws concerning administrative detention and illegal combatants—that is, suspects who cannot be classified as prisoners of war—detainees can be held for extended periods without access to lawyers or family members.

Many Palestinian families report waiting months to learn whether a loved one has been detained, a situation described by the UN committee as “enforced disappearance.”

The committee specifically criticized Israel’s use of the illegal combatants law, under which Palestinians, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, are detained en masse.

However, the report on detention conditions, published in the committee’s final results, is the most shocking section. Evidence indicates that Palestinians are frequently deprived of food and water and subjected to severe beatings, dog attacks, electric shocks, simulated drowning, and sexual violence. Some are reportedly permanently chained, denied access to toilets, and forced to wear diapers.