A human rights report documents shocking testimonies from Gaza detainees

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club revealed what they described as “horrifying” testimonies from a number of detainees from the Gaza Strip held in Israeli prisons. These testimonies detailed the ongoing torture and abuse of prisoners.

These testimonies were gathered during a series of visits recently conducted by lawyers to several Gazan detainees in the Negev and Ramle prisons, specifically in the Rekefet section and the Ramle prison clinic.

In a report issued Monday, the Commission and the Club confirmed that the accounts from the Rekefet section reflect a dangerous level of torture and ill-treatment that the Israeli Prison Service continues to impose on detainees.

The Rekefet section is designated for detainees classified as “unlawful combatants,” meaning those held under administrative detention, in addition to another section for detainees awaiting trial. The detainees reported being subjected to a series of repressive measures, most notably daily beatings and abuse, and the use of finger-breaking as a form of “punishment” and systematic torture, particularly against detainees awaiting trial.

They also stated that prison guards deliberately use restraints as a torture tool, intentionally tightening them to the point of causing blood pooling in the extremities and excruciating pain.