DaysofPal – A Palestinian journalist who was formerly held in Israeli prisons has revealed serious allegations of sexual abuse and torture during his detention, describing what he endured at the hands of Israeli prison guards.
The testimony was given by journalist Sami Al-Sa’i during a meeting held at the MADA Center for Media Freedoms in Ramallah, in the central West Bank. Al-Sa’i spoke about his experience during his administrative detention, which lasted from February 2024 until June 2025.
Al-Sa’i stated that he was subjected to sexual assault while detained at Megiddo Prison in the northern occupied territories. He explained that the assault occurred after he was severely beaten by a group of guards while restrained and blindfolded.
The journalist, who is from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, said that he was physically abused and threatened before being forcibly removed to a remote part of the prison.
He reported being stripped of his clothes and assaulted in a manner that caused him extreme physical pain. He also stated that he was beaten on sensitive parts of his body while one of the guards pressed on his head and neck.
In his testimony, Al-Sa’i described the “catastrophic reality” faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including systematic beatings, starvation, threats, and medical neglect.
According to Palestinian organizations specializing in prisoner affairs, dozens of testimonies have been documented since the beginning of the war on Gaza, pointing to a sharp escalation in torture practices.
These abuses reportedly begin at the moment of arrest, continue through interrogation, and persist inside prisons through various methods and policies.
The organizations have previously stated that torture is no longer limited to interrogation aimed at extracting confessions. Instead, Israeli authorities have developed tools and practices that embed abuse into the daily lives of detainees, a trend that has intensified unprecedentedly since the start of the war.
Violations against Palestinian prisoners have escalated alongside the ongoing war on Gaza, which rights groups describe as a campaign of genocide carried out with U.S. support and continuing for nearly two years.
Human rights organizations report that more than 9,300 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli jails. Many are subjected to torture, starvation, and medical neglect, conditions that have led to the deaths of several detainees.
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