After a year of Israel’s war in Gaza, longstanding abuses in the Israeli Prison System are coming to light. 

Since the attacks on October 7, 2024, the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has almost doubled from 5,000 to nearly 10,000. Moreover, around 3,500 people are held under Administrative Detention, a practice that jails individuals suspected of planning to commit crimes in the future. Those detained under Administrative Detention are offered no trial and can be held for an extended time.

According to B’tselem, one of Israel’s top human rights organizations, the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli jails “amounts to torture.” Detainees have also been denied the freedom to worship and denied basic healthcare.

Testimony from Musa ‘Aasi, a detainee from Ramallah, confirms abuse and mistreatment of prisoners. “The detention was prolonged torture. Abuse, humiliation, and degradation like I’ve never experienced in my life.” While he was imprisoned, he claimed to have dropped 60 pounds.

‘Aasi also claims cells were crowded, and food was scarce, which has been widely replicated among former prisoners. Earlier this year, Israeli Minister of National Security Itmar Ben Gvir ordered food rations for Palestinian detainees to be cut, stating that “The Palestinian detainees will receive the minimum rights and the minimum food, and I will ensure that this policy is implemented.”

Since Gvir assumed his position as Minister of National Security, he has been committed to worsening prison conditions, stating on X, “Since I assumed the position of Minister of National Security, one of the highest goals I have set for myself is to worsen the conditions of the terrorists in the prisons, and to reduce their rights to the minimum.”

Gvir has also advocated for the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners held on terror charges. Otzma-Yehudit also called the Jewish Power Party, has been called a “Jewish Fascist Group” and has ties to the banned “Kach” party, an Anti-Arab and Anti-Islam party banned in 1994 for the support of Baruch Goldstein’s massacre of 29 Palestinians.

Conditions in prisons were reported to have worsened after the October 7, 2024 attacks, with at least 54 reported to have died in detention centers since then. Abuse and torture claims have spiked since then.

Israel says all detainees are being treated according to Israeli law; however, Israel’s Ministry of National Security has made conditions worse and purposely overcrowded cells for detainees held on security charges.

According to a United Nations report, prisoners are being subjected to abuse and torture, including sexual and gender-based violence. Reported violence includes dog attacks, electric shocks, and even waterboarding. 

The Red Cross has been denied visits to Israeli Prisons, which is an even bigger concern.  The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice earlier this year to allow Red Cross visits to start again after they were halted after the October 7, 2024 massacre. The Israeli government responded to the petition, stating that plans were drawn for an external party to conduct prison visits, and the Red Cross was banned from conducting prison visits. 

The reasons for the Red Cross ban aren’t clear, though it may be because it failed to gain access to hostages in Gaza. Since the start of the war, Hamas has not allowed the Red Cross or any other humanitarian groups access to hostages in Gaza, depriving them of much-needed assistance. Since October 7, 2024, the bodies of at least 33 hostages have been recovered from Gaza, which could have been prevented if the Red Cross was allowed access.