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This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and violence which some readers may find distressing.
Two Palestinian men have shared accounts with the BBC detailing their experiences of beatings and sexual abuse while in Israeli detention, echoing concerns raised in recent reports.
Last month, the United Nations Committee against Torture voiced serious concerns regarding reports suggesting “a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment” targeting Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. The committee stated that these allegations had “gravely intensified” following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
Additional reports from Israeli and Palestinian rights organizations have outlined what they describe as “systematic” abuse.
While Israel has denied all allegations, rights groups argue that the heightened tensions stemming from the 7 October attacks and the treatment of Israeli hostages in Gaza have fostered a climate of impunity within the prison system, particularly concerning detainees who have expressed support for Hamas and its actions.
In 2023, leaked CCTV footage from an Israeli military prison appeared to show a Palestinian man from Gaza being sexually assaulted by prison guards, leading to a resignation and internal repercussions within Israel’s military and political echelons.
Sami al-Saei, 46, a former freelance journalist from Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, now works in the furniture industry.
Israeli forces arrested him in January 2024 after he assisted reporters in arranging interviews with members of Hamas and other armed groups.
He was held without charge for 16 months under administrative detention, a controversial Israeli practice, before his release this summer.
Al-Saei alleges that while detained in Megiddo prison in northern Israel, guards partially stripped him and raped him with a baton around 13 March 2024.
He stated that he decided to share his allegations of sexual abuse with the BBC, despite the potential for social stigma within the conservative Palestinian society of the West Bank.
“There were five or six of them,” he recounted.
“They were laughing and enjoying it. The guard asked me: ‘Are you enjoying this? We want to play with you, and bring your wife, your sister, your mother, and friends here too,'” Mr al-Saei said.
“I was hoping to die and be done from that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating.”
He stated that the assault lasted approximately 15 to 20 minutes, during which guards also squeezed his genitals, causing extreme pain.
He further claimed that beatings occurred almost daily, but the sexual abuse was a singular incident.
In response to Mr. al-Saei’s allegations, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) provided a statement to the BBC, asserting: “We operate in full accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety, welfare, and rights of all inmates under its custody.”
“We are not aware of the claims described, and to the best of our knowledge, no such incidents have occurred under IPS responsibility.”
The BBC also inquired whether an investigation had been initiated into the alleged sexual assault and if any relevant medical records existed. The IPS declined to comment.
Allegations of abuse against Palestinians in Israeli prisons have persisted for decades. A recent case involving the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee, however, has sparked considerable controversy within Israel and highlighted a growing divide over the treatment of prisoners accused of supporting Hamas.
In August 2024, leaked CCTV footage from Sde Teiman military prison in southern Israel allegedly depicted a Palestinian detainee from Gaza being abused with a sharp object, resulting in a pierced rectum. The incident reportedly occurred in July 2024.
Five Israeli reservist soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee.
Last month, the reservists held a press conference on Israeli television, with four of them concealing their identities behind black balaclavas.
During an interview with Channel 14 News, a fifth soldier removed his mask, stating he had nothing to hide.
All five have denied the charges.
The press conference followed the disclosure that the CCTV footage had been leaked by the Israeli military’s top lawyer, Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned in October, accepting full responsibility for the leak, stating her intention was to “counter false propaganda against the army’s law enforcement authorities” – a reference to claims from some right-wing politicians that the allegations were fabricated.
Supporters of the far right have staged protests outside Sde Teiman prison in support of the five accused reservists.
In July, prior to her resignation, a heated committee hearing at Israel’s parliament saw Hanoch Milwidsky, a politician from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, challenged on whether raping a detainee was acceptable.
“Shut up, shut up,” he shouted. “Yes, everything is legitimate if they are Nukhba [elite Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attacks]. Everything.”
A recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute indicated that a majority of the Israeli public opposes investigating soldiers suspected of abusing Palestinians from Gaza.
Ahmed, whose name has been changed for his protection, resides in the West Bank with his wife and 11 children.
He was arrested in January 2024 and convicted of incitement to terrorism for social media posts praising the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, in which approximately 1,200 people, primarily Israelis, were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
He received a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 3,000 shekels ($935, £700).
He alleges severe sexual abuse during his time in Israeli detention.
“The prison guards, three of them, took me into a bathroom and stripped me completely naked before forcing me to the ground,” Ahmed said in an interview at his home.
“They put my head in the toilet bowl and a massive man, maybe 150kg (330lb), stood on my head, so I was bent over. Then, I heard the voice of someone talking to the prison dog. The dog was named Messi, like the footballer.”
He detailed how he said the dog was used to sexually humiliate him, alleging his trousers and underwear were removed and the dog was made to mount his back.
“I could feel its breath… then it jumped on me… I started to scream. The more I screamed, the more they beat me until I almost lost consciousness.”
Ahmed also reported that guards subjected him to regular beatings, including on his genitals, throughout his detention.
He said he was released 12 days after the alleged sexual abuse, having served his full sentence.
When asked if he possessed any medical documentation related to his claims, Ahmed stated that he did not.
The BBC contacted the IPS for a response to Ahmed’s allegations and to inquire whether an investigation had been launched. No response was received.
There are currently over 9,000 Palestinian security detainees held in Israeli jails, nearly double the number prior to the 7 October attacks. Many have not been formally charged.
The UN Committee against Torture’s recent report unequivocally condemned the 7 October attacks while also expressing deep concern regarding Israel’s response and the significant loss of life in Gaza.
Some hostages abducted on 7 October and survivors of the attacks have also alleged sexual abuse, rape, and torture at the hands of Hamas and its allies.
Hamas has also publicly executed Palestinians in Gaza accused of collaborating with Israel.
Allegations of abuse have also surfaced concerning prisons operated by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank not under Israeli control and is a political and military rival of Hamas.
The BBC spoke to a former detainee who reported being beaten and subjected to electric shocks by PA security officers.
The BBC has contacted the PA for comment but has not received a response. The PA has previously denied allegations of systematic abuse.
In a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture in October, five Israeli human rights groups stated that there had been “a dramatic escalation in torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment across all detention facilities, carried out with near total impunity and implemented as state policy targeting Palestinians.”
Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Parents Against Child Detention, HaMoked, and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel presented evidence they said demonstrated that Israel had “dismantled existing safeguards and now employs torture throughout the entire detention process – from arrest to imprisonment – targeting Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian citizens, with senior officials sanctioning these abuses while judicial and administrative mechanisms fail to intervene.”
The report asserted that these practices had led to a surge in Palestinian deaths in custody, with at least 94 deaths documented between the start of the Gaza war and the end of August 2025.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva dismissed the allegations before the UN Committee against Torture as “disinformation.”
Daniel Meron told the expert panel last month that Israel was “committed to upholding its obligations in line with our moral values and principles, even in the face of the challenges posed by a terrorist organisation.”
He stated that relevant Israeli agencies fully complied with the prohibition against torture and that Israel rejected allegations of the systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence.
Israel says the report “doesn’t reflect the reality” and ignores the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip.
British Transport Police said international events played “a really big part” on how people behave.
The US will restrict entry of people from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports.
Samuel Williams, 20, is due to appear Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 27 January 2026.
The strike killed Raed Saad, a senior commander in Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, the Israeli military said.
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