Court releases B’Tselem field researcher unconditionally, but Israeli authorities still hold him in custody

21 January 2016

Update: Contempt of Court motion rejected today (22 Jan. 2016). Habeas corpus motion was now filed to the Israeli supreme court following the state violation of court's order to release B'Tselem's field worker unconditionally. Despite the order, he was transferred to a military court in the West Bank.

Today, Jerusalem District Court Judge, Moshe Yoed Hacohen, ordered the unconditional immediate release of B'Tselem field researcher Nasser Nawaj'ah, who was arrested by the police on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, the Israeli police violated the court order and told his counsel that he had been taken to the military court at Ofer Camp, which remanded him to custody until Sunday. Adv. Gaby Lasky has just filed an urgent motion under the Contempt of Court Ordinance against the Samaria and Judea District Police. We will be posting updates.

After the District Court hearing, Adv. Lasky said: The Court accepted our position that my client’s arrest was a false arrest, since Israeli courts have no jurisdiction in the matter. This is the second instance that has ordered his unconditional release. The police are intent on continuing the pressure on human rights activists under arrest.

Nasser Nawajah in Susiya. Photo by Leif Magne Helgesen

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Nasser Nawaj’ah. Photo by Sarit Michaeli, B'Tselem

A Routine Founded on Violence

ISA detains and interrogates B'Tselem field researcher; B'Tselem: "Disgraceful arrest aimed at hampering the work of a human rights organization"

On Saturday night, 6 August 2022, B'Tselem's field researcher in the South Hebron Hills, Nasser Nawaj'ah, was arrested by soldiers who arrived at his home in the village of Susiya. Nawaj'ah was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to a military camp in the settlement of Otniel. He was held there for about 12 hours, still handcuffed and blindfolded, and was given no food or water other than a few sips at the beginning. Throughout the entire time, the police, the military and the Israel Security Agency did not notify his family, B'Tselem or his lawyers of his whereabouts. On Sunday, around midday, Nawaj'ah was taken to an ISA interrogation facility in Gush Etzion, where he was interrogated by an officer who introduced himself as "Captain Yassin." The officer questioned Nawaj'ah about his work and home, and accused him of "causing all the trouble in the area." The officer then asked Nawaj'ah to stop “causing trouble” and "engaging in friction" with the military. Footage of Nasser Nawaj’ah’s arrest. Credit: Yeheli Cialic and Guy Butavia This is not the first time the ISA has taken action against Nawaj'ah. In 2021, he was summoned for a talk with an ISA officer who presented himself as "Captain 'Eid." In the "warning talk," the officer told him he was "threatening the military and sending B'Tselem activists to harass the soldiers." In response to his arrest, Nawaj'ah stated: “It is not surprising that Israel goes after people who document the injustices it commits in the Occupied Territories and work to expose it. The violence of the Israeli forces is nothing new – it is a daily part of my work and of life for all Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. That is why I do my job, and I will continue doing it." B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad: "This case is disgraceful, but not an exception. Israel does everything it can to obstruct the work of human rights organizations, especially Palestinian ones, that expose the violations it commits. The "friction" Nawaj’ah was told to steer clear of, is created by the Israeli government that takes Palestinian land, the High Court that signs off on this, the settlers that attack Palestinians and the military that backs them. The goal of arresting and interrogating a B'Tselem employee is clear: disrupting his work and helping the military and settlers continue to trample on the rights of Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills."

12 August 2022

Torture and Abuse

New report: Living Hell: Sexual violence, starvation and systematic abuse – at least 84 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli torture camps

Today (Tuesday), B’Tselem released new figures and testimonies revealing the extent of violence employed against Palestinians in Israeli prisons, which function as a network of torture camps: systematic abuse, including physical and psychological violence, inhuman conditions, deliberate starvation and denial of medical treatment, resulting in many deaths. Some released prisoners recounted undergoing or witnessing sexual violence.B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak: “The Israeli regime has turned its prisons into a network of torture camps for Palestinians, as part of a coordinated onslaught on Palestinian society intended to destroy their existence as a collective. The genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank are the most blatant manifestations of this policy. Despite mounting evidence and numerous reports on Israel's torture camps, the international community continues to grant this regime full immunity – effectively legitimizing the continued torture, oppression and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and abandoning the victims.”The new report lists 84 Palestinians (including one minor) who died in Israeli torture camps since October 2023, detailing each prisoner’s name, place of residence (50 from the Gaza Strip, 31 from the West Bank and 3 citizens of Israel) and the facility in which they died. As of January 2025, Israel is still holding 80 of the bodies and refusing to return them to their families. There are indications that the number of Palestinians who died in Israeli torture camps is higher. However, the report notes only those for whom B’Tselem was able to verify the information.The report shows that the policy of abuse is declared, deliberate, and is coming from the very top. National Minister of Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who is in charge of the Israel Prison Service, brags in TV puff pieces and on social media about the inhuman treatment of Palestinians in these facilities. He is not alone. The entire Israeli system has rallied to shield the people designing and implementing this policy from any accountability.The report is based on the extensive analysis provided in our August 2024 report “Welcome to Hell”, on updated figures, and on the testimonies of 21 Palestinians released from Israeli prison facilities in recent months. It also draws on the work of Israeli and international human rights organizations that monitor these facilities.In September 2025, about 10,900 Palestinians were being held in Israel’s torture camps, in appalling conditions and under a regime of extreme physical and psychological abuse. As of January 2026, after the Israel-Hamas deal that included the release of some prisoners was completed, about 9,200 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons.B’Tselem stresses that the incarceration project in which more than 800,000 Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons over the years, many without trial, is a key tool Israel uses to fragment and oppress Palestinian society.

20 January 2026

Detainees & Prisoners

Living Hell

“Living Hell” follows on B’Tselem’s August 2024 report “Welcome to Hell.” Building on the extensive research and analysis carried out for the previous report, it provides updated figures and new testimonies from 21 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons in recent months, and draws on data from other Israeli and international human rights organizations. The updated information indicates that Israeli prisons continue to function as a network of torture camps for Palestinians, with the systematic abuse even more extensive than before. This includes physical and psychological abuse, inhuman conditions, deliberate starvation and denial of medical care, all of which has led to numerous deaths. Some witnesses also described undergoing or witnessing sexual violence and abuse. The transformation of prisons into a network of torture camps is part of the Israeli regime’s coordinated onslaught on Palestinian society, aimed at dismantling the Palestinian collective.

20 January 2026