RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs accused Israel of conducting a punitive “war of revenge” against Palestinian detainees since the start of the Gaza war in October last year. Israeli human rights groups also confirmed detainees’ rights violations and unconstitutional practices in detention centers.
Qadura Fares, head of the PA’s Prisoners’ Affairs Authority, alleged at a press conference in Ramallah that Palestinian prisoners were being subjected to mistreatment amounting to “hostage” tactics as part of broader pressure tactics.
“Israel has been waging a war of revenge against prisoners within the walls of prisons and detention centers since the first day of the decision to go to war against Gaza,” said the PA’s Prisoners’ Affairs Authority head Qadura Fares.
Claims of mistreatment, including torture and sexual abuse, in Israeli prisons were dismissed by Israeli authorities.
Khaled MaHajjna, the authority’s lawyer, recounted allegations he heard from detained Gaza journalists Mohammed Arab and Tariq Abed at the Ofer detention center near Ramallah.
He described instances where prisoners were allegedly subjected to degrading treatment, including the insertion of a fire extinguisher tube into one detainee’s body and the use of electric prods on others.
Israeli Human Rights Groups Seeks Closure of Detention Center
Amid mounting complaints from Palestinians, Israeli human rights groups petitioned the court to shut down Sde Teiman, a desert detention camp used exclusively during the conflict with Hamas.
The groups, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Physicians for Human Rights, argued that conditions at Sde Teiman violated detainees’ rights and were unconstitutional.
The Israeli military responded by rejecting allegations of systematic abuse at Sde Teiman and affirmed its compliance with international legal standards.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has been instructed by the high court to respond within three days to the petition demanding the camp’s closure.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, approximately 9,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails, including hundreds under administrative detention without trial.
Israel’s military retaliation has killed at least 38,664 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
