News / Palestine

Palestinian prisoners facing ‘systematic torture’ at Israel’s Ofer prison

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 3:02 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 20 August 2024 5:16 PM ]

A file photo by AFP shows Israel's Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society says Palestinians being held in Israel’s Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank are facing "systematic torture and humiliation."

In a statement released on Tuesday, the group, citing inmates’ testimonies, said those recently released from the facility said they experienced torture.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs also said water is available to detainees in the detention facility “for only 45 minutes daily.”

The commission said several prisoners “were beaten and mistreated multiple times, with some being assaulted while going out to see their lawyers.”

The abuse at this prison is on par with that documented at Israel’s Sde Teiman facility, which has been rocked by allegations its guards raped a Palestinian inmate.

More details have surfaced on the human rights violations taking place at the notorious Sde Teiman, a former military base in the Negev desert.

Israeli reservist soldiers who served at the prison over the months spoke to Israeli media about the abuse which took place at the facility throughout Israel's deadly war in Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians.

One student tasked with guard duty at Sde Teiman back in October said soldiers boasted about "hitting people with clubs".

He said detainees, blindfolded and handcuffed by the arms and legs, were "instructed to remain seated and not move nor talk".

Another soldier said these rules were imposed round-the-clock, and detainees are not allowed to sleep or lie down when night strikes.

"They're like that [blindfolded and shackled] all the time, day and night."

Detainees were also accused of carrying out "violations" they did not commit.

Released Palestinian abductees recount abuse in Israeli jails

Palestinians held in Israeli detention since the start of the war in Gaza said they faced systematic ill-treatment by prison authorities.

Palestinian abductees recently released by Israel have recounted their suffering due to inhuman treatment and abuse at the hands of the regime’s jailers.

They described abusive and humiliating treatment including holding blindfolded and handcuffed detainees in cramped cages.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has carried out more than 10,200 arrests in the occupied West Bank and hundreds more in Gaza, often keeping prisoners in custody without charge.

Thousands have been “forcibly disappeared” from the besieged Gaza Strip.

Several Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since the outbreak of the war.

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