Former detainees described severe abuse, including beatings, humiliation, medical neglect, and deprivation of basic rights. Journalist Khader Bakr Abdel Aal recounted his arrest from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex in March 2024, where he was blindfolded, stripped, and beaten for hours. He said the absence of international protection left journalists vulnerable from the outset.
Abdel Aal detailed mass transfers of detainees in overcrowded trucks, continuous beatings causing rib fractures, and degrading treatment during medical checks. He recalled a doctor telling him, “I am not here to treat you, I am here to torture you.” He also witnessed the death of fellow prisoner Kamal Radi after prolonged assault, his body later returned in a black bag.
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Held for 91 days in Sde Teiman detention center, Abdel Aal described constant torture: bans on speaking, praying, or sleeping, restricted toilet use, and weekly violent raids by special units. He suffered blood poisoning and was assaulted even inside hospitals, forced to conceal injuries to avoid further abuse. Methods included electric shocks, sleep deprivation, and painful forced postures under the sun.

Another freed prisoner, Musab Amdukh, recounted being confined in rooms called “disco” or “music,” where loud noise was played continuously to prevent sleep. He described repeated beatings, humiliation, and being forced to drink water in degrading ways. Together, these testimonies highlight systematic torture in Israeli prisons, carried out not for intelligence purposes but to inflict suffering and humiliation, underscoring the urgent need for accountability.