Sde Teiman is only the tip of the iceberg: Israeli detention centers turned into a network of torture camps for Palestinians

When we got off the bus, a soldier said to us: “Welcome to hell.” 
(From the testimony of Fouad Hassan, 45, a father of five and resident of Qusrah in Nablus District, who was held in Megiddo Prison. Read the full testimony here)

Dear friend,

Yesterday, we published a shocking new report, that reveals that since 7 October, Israel has instated a systemic policy of abusing and torturing thousands of Palestinians in its custody. In “Welcome to Hell”, B’Tselem showcases the testimonies of 55 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons and detention facilities in recent months, almost all without charges: 30 from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, 21 from the Gaza Strip, and four citizens of Israel.

The testimonies reveal that all Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons are being subjected to harsh arbitrary violence on a frequent basis, sexual assault, humiliation and degradation, deliberate starvation, forced lack of hygiene, sleep deprivation, restriction and punishment of religious worship, confiscation of all group and personal belongings, and denial of adequate medical care. This is the outcome of the speedy conversion of more than a dozen Israeli prison facilities, military and civilian, into camps dedicated to abusing inmates since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

Read the full report:

In recent days, horrific details emerged about the abuse of detainees in the Sde Teiman military detention camp. But Sde Teiman is just the tip of the iceberg. As we speak, thousands of Palestinians are being held in inhuman conditions and subjected to relentless abuse. Some do not know why they were arrested; many will be released without trial. This is the definition of a torture camp: a place that once you enter – no matter who you are or why you were arrested – you will be subjected to severe, deliberate, relentless pain and suffering.

The Israeli government has cynically exploited our collective trauma from the horrors of 7 October to translate Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir’s racist, violent agenda into action. This government has driven us to an all-time moral low, proving again its utter disregard for human lives – of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, of Israelis and Palestinians living through ongoing war, and of the Palestinians held in torture camps.

Read the Guardian's story on the report's findings:
Palestinian prisoners describe systemic abuse in Israel’s jails
Torture, abuse and humiliation: Palestinians on Israeli prison ‘hell’

 

Watch the testimony of Att. Sari Huriyyah

Read Reuters' story on the report's findings

Watch the testimony of Firas Hassan

Read Haaretz' story on the report's findings

Watch the testimony of Ashraf al-Muhtaseb

Help share our social media posts on the report on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

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We call again for an immediate ceasefire and for a deal to release all the hostages.