Palestinian prisoners detained in Gaza describe ‘horrific’ abuse in Israel's Ofer prison

Palestinians detained in Gaza and taken to Israel’s Ofer prison have described abuse and severe torture at the hands of prison authorities, including broken bones and critical wounds.

Testimonies from prisoners were collected and published by the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, which focuses on the welfare of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The commission’s lawyer visited the detainees, where they recounted how they were stripped off from their clothes, beaten and blindfolded.

The prisoners who spoke to the commission were identified as Mohammed Jamous, 44, Fadi Ayad, 38, and Fadi Howaydi, 38.

The men said they were taken from Gaza in military vehicles where they faced degrading verbal abuse and torture. They said that the conditions and violations they faced in the facilities where they were held were "horrific".

A report from the commission details various forms of systematic abuse, including the use of attack dogs, tear gas and pepper spray in cells.

Some of the detainees who spoke to the commission said they lost consciousness multiple times after beatings, and one man named Islam Sirsawi reportedly succumbed to death after being tortured.

"Our bodies are exhausted, and we have become prone to illness and injury," one detainee said. "No medical treatment or medication is provided. Despite these dire conditions, we cling to the hope of returning to our families alive."

The testimonies come amid increasing reports of horrific torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, leading in many cases to their deaths.

A report published last week by the UN Human Rights Office said that 53 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons and facilities since the beginning of the Gaza war last October, including 36 at the notorious Sde Teiman facility in southern Israel.

On Thursday, Gaza’s Ministry of Prisoners and Freed Prisoners said that Omar Abdul Aziz Junaid, 26, died in Israeli prison after being subjected to interrogation and severe torture. Junaid was detained along with his brother Yasser from their home in Jabalia in December.

Since then, the prisoner group said, his whereabouts were unknown.

However, Israeli rights group HaMoked later informed the family that he died on 17 June. The family have demanded an official investigation into the cause of his death, emphasising he did not suffer from any illnesses or conditions prior to his death.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, thousands of Palestinians have been detained and taken to unknown locations, makeshift detention centres or Israeli jails where they are subjected to torture.

Recently nine Israeli soldiers were arrested by authorities at Sde Teiman, following reports of horrific sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee there.

Far-right Israeli activists, including politicians and cabinet ministers later stormed the facility demanding their release.

Israel's indiscriminate war on Gaza has killed over 39,000 Palestinians and wounded over 90,000 others, while plunging the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.