The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said in a report issued today, Monday, that endless testimonies reflect the level of ongoing torture crimes against Gaza detainees in Israeli occupation camps and prisons, based on a group of visits recently conducted to 11 detainees from Gaza in the camps (Sde Teiman, Naftali, and Anatot) and the Negev prison.

The detainees recounted the torture, humiliation and abuse they were subjected to during their arrest from Gaza, and the harsh interrogation periods.

In addition, the legal teams conveyed details of the visit conditions, which reflect the level of humiliation to which the detainees are subjected, especially their continued shackling at the limbs, and their basic needs being turned into tools of torture and abuse, in addition to their exposure to a type of investigation known as the “disco” investigation.

Disco investigation is a form of systematic torture against Gaza detainees

According to the testimony of the lawyer who visited one of the detainees, “the detainee (Y.F.) was brought to the visit, where the soldier deliberately pulled him in a humiliating manner by his jacket, which seemed much larger than his size. The lawyer was not able to see his face until after removing the blindfold from his eyes, as the prisoner seemed surprised by the light.”

The detainee said that he was subjected to a "disco" investigation at the Sde Teiman camp, where loud music was played continuously for two days. After 30 days, he was given a five-minute trial session, without being able to understand the details of the session or the reason for his arrest.

The detainee (Y.F.) confirmed that the detention conditions in the Anatot camp are harsh, as the detainees remain blindfolded and handcuffed all the time, and they are forbidden from speaking with any other detainee.

Using the need to go to the bathroom as a tool of abuse

As for the detainee (M.Y.), he did not know where he was being held until his lawyer informed him, because he was blindfolded and handcuffed the entire time. He reported that the Anatot camp is very cold, and detainees are prevented from speaking, and are forced to sit in only two positions: either on their knees or on their buttocks during all hours of the day. The need to relieve oneself is also used as a means of humiliation, as detainees who ask to go to the bathroom are punished by being forced to sit on their knees for a long time without a mattress, with their pants pulled up to the knees to touch the ground, and their hands tied behind their heads.

As for food, it is very little and limited to a few bites, and they are allowed to shower once a week, while their clothes are changed once a month. Detainees are also deprived of praying or performing ablution, and anyone caught praying while sitting is subject to punishment.

For every 55 prisoners, only three pieces of tissues.

During a visit to one of the detainees in the Sde Teiman camp, the detainee (M.M.) reported that he was severely beaten during his arrest, which caused him to have broken ribs. Three months after his arrest, he still suffers from chest pains, and he has not yet been brought to trial. He explained that every 55 detainees share only three pieces of tissue, confirming that some of the detainees who were recently brought to the camp were beaten.

Negev Prison: Hunger, Humiliation and the Spread of Disease

In the Negev prison, prisoners’ testimonies focused on the crime of starvation and continuous humiliation, in addition to the spread of scabies. One detainee reported that they remain in a state of constant hunger because the prison administration manipulates the times of providing the already meager food. Some detainees also indicated that they have not been provided with nail clippers for two months, nor have they been provided with razors.

Shocking facts about the Gaza detainees case

The Prisoners’ Affairs Authority and the Prisoners’ Club recalled the most important facts about the issue of the Gaza detainees:

To this day, there is no accurate estimate of the number of detainees from Gaza in the occupation’s prisons and camps, but the only available data is what the occupation’s prison administration announced last January, when it classified (1,886) detainees as “illegal combatants,” including three female prisoners held in (Damon) prison, and dozens of children in (Megiddo) prison and (Ofer) camp.

Human rights organizations are still unable to determine the number of arrests from Gaza due to the crime of enforced disappearance imposed by the occupation on detainees since the beginning of the war, and their number is estimated in the thousands.

The occupation has created special camps to detain Gaza detainees, in addition to the central prisons, including the (Sde Teiman) camp, the (Anatot) camp, and a camp inside the (Ofer) prison, in addition to the (Naftali) camp, and there may be other unannounced camps.

The detainees’ testimonies represented a significant shift in revealing the level of brutality of the occupation, as they documented crimes of torture, abuse, and starvation, in addition to systematic medical attacks, sexual violations, and the use of prisoners as human shields.

The Sde Teiman camp was a prominent site for systematic torture crimes, including sexual assaults, according to testimonies of released detainees.

These crimes led to the martyrdom of dozens of detainees, in addition to field executions. The relevant institutions announced the martyrdom of (37) detainees from Gaza, out of (58) prisoners who were martyred since the beginning of the war, while the occupation continues to conceal the rest of the names of the martyrs.

The occupation authorities continue to prevent the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting detainees, and they also prevent any other visits to all prisoners and detainees.

The occupation carried out extensive arrest campaigns in northern Gaza, which included dozens of medical personnel. Information about their fate is still unavailable, as it is believed that they are being forcibly disappeared.

Call to end the immunity granted to the occupying state

The Prisoners Club and the Prisoners Affairs Authority stressed the need to end the exceptional immunity granted by the old colonial powers to the Israeli occupation state, which made it above accountability and responsibility.