Torture and Starvation in Israeli Prisons: Rights Group Warns of Systematic Abuse of Palestinian Detainees
In a press briefing shared with journalists on Monday, the PPS said Israeli prison authorities have continued to commit 'organized, systematic crimes' against more than 10,800 Palestinian detainees, including women and children.
The report, titled 'The Situation of Prisoners During the First Half of July', is based on testimonies collected by PPS lawyers during recent visits to Israeli prisons.
According to the PPS, detainees reported suffering broken ribs, electric shocks, deliberate starvation, medical neglect, and physical abuse, including cigarette burns, and rubber bullets aimed directly at limbs. Outbreaks of scabies and infectious diseases have also been reported, with many denied basic medical care.
'These are not isolated incidents — they are part of a systemic policy of abuse aimed at dehumanizing and breaking Palestinian detainees,' the report said. It emphasized that many of the victims were held without charge under Israel's controversial administrative detention system.
Call for Accountability
The PPS renewed its call for urgent international action, demanding that global human rights institutions hold Israeli officials accountable for crimes against detainees. It also called for sanctions to end what it described as Israel's impunity on the international stage.
'This systematic torture reflects the broader collapse of international accountability mechanisms,' the group stated. 'The paralysis of the global human rights system has enabled these crimes to continue unchecked.'
A Broader Campaign of Aggression
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which Palestinian authorities and international experts have increasingly referred to as a genocidal campaign.
Supported politically and militarily by the United States, Israel's assault has left over 200,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, with the majority being women and children. More than 11,000 are missing, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
In addition to airstrikes and ground operations, Israel has imposed a suffocating blockade, causing famine, the collapse of Gaza's health infrastructure, and the destruction of basic civilian life. Despite multiple rulings and warnings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to halt its offensive and facilitate humanitarian aid, violations continue.
The conditions in Israeli prisons, according to rights groups, mirror the larger pattern of state violence. Many prisoners are from the occupied West Bank and Gaza, rounded up in mass arrest campaigns often carried out without warrants or formal charges.
International Silence and Growing Outrage
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have previously accused Israel of violating the UN Convention Against Torture. However, the PPS and other Palestinian groups say that global powers have failed to act, allowing abuses to continue under a cloak of immunity.
'The suffering of Palestinian detainees is a microcosm of the suffering across Gaza and the West Bank,' a PPS spokesperson said. 'This is not just a legal crisis — it is a moral collapse of the international order.'
As the situation deteriorates, the PPS is urging international observers, the UN Human Rights Council, and civil society worldwide to break their silence and demand an end to the abuse of prisoners and the broader war on Gaza.
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