This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and violence which some readers may find distressing.
Two Palestinian men have told the BBC they personally experienced the kind of beatings and sexual abuse highlighted in recent reports into the treatment of prisoners in Israeli detention.
The United Nations Committee against Torture said last month that it was deeply concerned about reports indicating a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. It said the allegations had gravely intensified after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Other reports by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have detailed what they say is systematic abuse.
Israel has denied all the allegations, but rights groups say the fury in the country over the 7 October attacks and the treatment of Israeli hostages in Gaza has created a culture of impunity within the prison services, especially towards detainees who have expressed support for Hamas and its attacks.
Last year, leaked CCTV footage from inside an Israeli military prison showed a Palestinian man from Gaza allegedly being sexually abused by prison guards. That led to a resignation and recriminations at the top of Israel's military and political establishment.
Sami al-Saei, 46, now works in a furniture shop, but he used to be a freelance journalist in Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank. He was arrested by Israeli soldiers in January 2024 after working with reporters to arrange interviews with members of Hamas and was detained for 16 months without charge. He alleged that while in Megiddo prison, guards raped him with a baton and beat him severely.
Another witness, using the pseudonym Ahmed, also shared his distressing experience of ill-treatment and sexual humiliation in prison. Both men’s accounts speak to a broader issue of violence against Palestinian detainees, particularly following heightened hostilities.
Despite the serious nature of these allegations, responses from the Israel Prison Service have been dismissive, maintaining compliance with legal standards without acknowledging these claims. The escalation of reports concerning abuse calls for urgent attention and accountability regarding the treatment of Palestinians in detention settings.
