New Palestinian testimonies reveal torture, abuse in Israel's Ofer prison

Warning: This article contains details of abuse and torture that some readers may find upsetting.

Recent testimonies from Gazan detainees held in Israel's infamous Ofer prison reveal ongoing torture and abuse by Israeli prison authorities, according to accounts collected by leading Palestinian prisoner groups cited by the Wafa news agency on Monday.

Fifteen Palestinian detainees in the notorious Ofer prison were interviewed during visits by legal teams from the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Wafa said.

The detainees reported being continuously shackled for over ten months, denied access to hygiene products like tissues and soap, and allowed to shower only once every ten days for three minutes, the news agency reported.

The report by the prisoner rights' groups noted a "particularly cruel" method of punishment involving forcing detainees to extend their arms through the slot on the door of the cell, after which guards would use "various tools" to strike and violently bend their arms, resulting in "unbearable pain".

That form of physical torture became "a daily routine", affecting all detainees, including children, the ill, the injured, and the elderly, Wafa said.

One unnamed detainee with amputated legs recounted being forced to rely on other detainees to lift him to the cell door, where guards would then subject him to torture through the same method of beating his arms.

Despite his disability, he was compelled daily to descend from his bed and lie face down on the floor during roll calls, which occurred four times a day.

Since his arrest on 15 February, he was perpetually shackled, resulting in severe hand pain, bruising, swelling, and intense burning sensations at the ends of his amputated limbs, the report said.

The prison administration used roll calls as a tool for torture and mistreatment, forcing detainees to lie face down for about two hours during each of the four daily counts, the report said, adding that those who did not comply were punished through the cell door slot.

During transfers to court sessions, detainees were taken to a metal cage at 07:00 in the morning and forced to sit in uncomfortable positions, such as on their knees, until the proceedings concluded.

As of early November 2024, some 1,627 Palestinians from Gaza were held in prison and labelled as "unlawful combatants", without trial. Most were detained through mass arrests and forced disappearance, Wafa reported, noting that the figure did not include all Palestinians detained from Gaza as some were held in other prisons.

Since Israel's war on Gaza began last October, thousands of Palestinians, including residents, medical staff, patients, and captured fighters have been detained and taken to Israel, usually shackled and blindfolded, according to the UN.

At least 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons - including over 270 children, and 94 women, according to figures compiled by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.

Over 3,398 detainees are held under administrative detention - without charge or trial.

Within Israel's network of prisons, Palestinians face arbitrary, prolonged, and incommunicado detention, with much documented evidence of horrific torture, rape, abuse, and other cruel and degrading treatment.

At least 53 Palestinians have died in Israeli jails over the past year as a result of these conditions.