Human Rights Group Claims Palestinian Prisoners were ‘Systematically Tortured’

Palestinian prisoners have been systematically tortured and abused since Oct 7, a report by an Israeli human rights body has alleged.

Israel has “categorically” rejected the claims made by B’Tselem, a Jerusalem-based body.

Its report, entitled “Welcome to Hell” includes testimonies from 55 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, who describe abuse ranging from torture to sexual assault.

Fadi Baker, a 25-year-old from Gaza who was sent to Sde Teiman facility in the Negev desert, claimed that Israeli interrogators “put cigarettes out in my mouth and on my body”.

He added: “They put clamps on my testicles that were attached to something heavy. It went on like that for a whole day.”

The testimonies “clearly indicate a systemic, institutional policy focused on the continual abuse and torture of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel,” B’Tselem said in its report.

The group alleged “frequent acts of severe, arbitrary violence” as well as sexual assault, humiliation and degradation, deliberate starvation and sleep deprivation.

The Israeli army told The Telegraph that it “categorically rejects” allegations of systematic abuse, including sexual abuse, in its detention facilities.