The Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs’ Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Club announced in an alarming statement yesterday, that the level of abuse in “Ofer” camp against Palestinian prisoners is not less severe than the testimonies that emerged from the “Sde Teman” concentration camp, which has been the most prominent site of torture crimes against Gaza detainees.
“Ofer,” which holds hundreds of Gaza detainees, is one of several camps and prisons where prisoners face systematic and unprecedented crimes since the start of the genocide war.
Details of the torture crimes against prisoners and detainees in the occupation’s prisons and camps are ongoing, with daily shocking and horrifying testimonies being recorded by various organizations.
Testimony from the detainee G.W. about torture crimes following his arrest on March 2, 2024, at a checkpoint in the city of Hamad (Gaza):
“During my interrogation, the interrogators tried to drown me using the water from the toilet bowl.”
“To this day, we are subjected to torture, humiliation, and beatings.”
“The occupation forces stripped me of my clothes, tied my hands behind my back, blindfolded me, and transferred me to a truck. They assaulted me and all the other detainees who were with me. We were then taken to a roofed area (zinko), where the occupation kept us for 100 days along with dozens of other detainees. This phase was the most severe, in terms of the torture methods used against us.”
For the 100 days, the detainees were beaten for any movement they made. During this time, the detainees’ hands remained tied, and their eyes were blindfolded, or they were forced to sit on their legs or stomachs. Prolonged standing as a punishment method was commonly used against the detainees.
The detainee continued: “During my interrogation, I was subjected to an attempt to drown me using the water inside the the toilet, in addition to prolonged standing as a punishment method.”
The detainee is currently held in “Ofer” camp. The management of this camp is under the occupation army, and according to several visits made to Gaza detainees there, each room holds at least 20 prisoners who are subjected to torture, humiliation, abuse, and beatings.
One detainee reported that the prison administration recently raided the room-cell where he was held after the detainees hid bread slices. The raid lasted several hours, during which the forces used methods such as bending the hand and severe beating on the shoulder and fingers, resulting in a broken hand for one detainee and a broken nose for an elderly detainee.
Visits conducted under high levels of surveillance.
The lawyer confirmed that the visits to Gaza detainees in “Ofer” camp are conducted under high levels of strict surveillance. Most of the detainees refused to give any details about their detention conditions, and signs of fear and intimidation were evident on them. One detainee refrained from talking about anything, fearing being beaten, and only mentioned that he experiences severe shaking for long periods after any attack.
The Commission and the Club confirmed that the level of surveillance imposed on lawyers, detainees, and prisoners – in various prisons – is unprecedented, casting a shadow over the work of legal teams and affecting the behavior of detainees and their testimonies during visits, especially since some prisons have adopted assaults on prisoners during their transfer for visits, with Naqab Desert prison being one of the most notable. The level of surveillance has been one of several systematic obstacles and policies that have significantly impacted lawyers’ visits.
The most prominent crimes reflected in the testimonies of Gaza detainees over the past period:
• The crime of enforced disappearance, which has been the most prominent crime imposed by the occupation on the majority of Gaza detainees.
• Using detainees as human shields for extended periods during ground military operations.
• Committing torture crimes against them through various methods, including electric shocks, prolonged standing, continuous handcuffing, repeated beatings that caused broken limbs for many detainees, and the use of police dogs during attacks.
• Systematic medical crimes by depriving them of basic treatment, performing surgeries without anesthesia, and amputating limbs of detainees due to continuous restraint.
• Committing rape and sexual assault crimes at various levels.
• Committing the crime of starvation against them.
• Forcing detainees to utter demeaning words that insult their dignity and offend their families.
• Forcing them to sit in certain positions that cause severe pain and aim to humiliate them.
• No detainee is allowed to speak to another detainee, and those who do are subjected to severe beatings.
• Depriving them of practicing any religious rituals.
Key facts about Gaza detainees in the occupation’s prisons:
Since the start of the genocide war, the occupation has detained thousands from Gaza, with the occupation’s prison administration acknowledging the detention of 1,584 detainees from Gaza, whom the occupation classified as unlawful combatants. This figure does not include all Gaza detainees, particularly those in camps under military management. Despite some legal amendments made by the occupation regarding Gaza detainees, which allowed institutions to reveal the fate of Gaza detainees through a specific mechanism, the vast majority of them remain in enforced disappearance, including martyrs who ascended due to torture, estimated to be in the dozens. The specialized institutions face significant challenges in following up on the issue of Gaza detainees, especially since visits are still limited.
As of early August, the number of prisoners in the occupation’s prisons exceeds 9,900, a figure that does not include all Gaza detainees, particularly those held in military camps.
The Commission and the Club renew their ongoing call to the international human rights system to reclaim the role for which it was established, and to move beyond merely documenting the occupation’s crimes and issuing statements and calls, to another level that upholds the values of human justice. This begins with holding the occupation leaders accountable for their ongoing systematic crimes as part of the ongoing extermination war against our people in Gaza, and its other face represented by the torture crimes and severe violations against prisoners and detainees in “israeli” prisons.