Why are Palestinians tortured in Israeli prisons?

[Leftisrightisleft]

We have heard time and time again from detained Palestinians once they are freed, about the extensive torture and abuse they faced at the hands of Israeli prisons guards.

Is this legal in Israel? Is that why nothing is done about it?

Source:

https://news.sky.com/story/freed-palestinian-prisoner-alleges-torture-and-deaths-in-israeli-detention-13450233

I know, it is not unexpected but still shocking. Israel has many questions to answer and I hope it is finally held to account

Murder !
Executions ! and
Systematic torture !

I hope who ever is responsible pays a heavy price
Including officials and members of the Israeli Government who have turned a blind eye for so many years
The likes of Ben Gvir aswell who encourage it

Further reporting from the BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gz3r46e37o.amp

https://www.972mag.com/israeli-intelligence-database-militants-civilians-gaza-detainees/

Only one in four Palestinians captured by Israeli forces in Gaza were identified by the army as militants, with civilians making up the vast majority of “unlawful combatants” detained in Israeli prisons since October 7, a joint investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian can reveal.

This is what emerges from figures obtained from a classified database managed by Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate (known by the Hebrew acronym “Aman”), in addition to official Israeli prison statistics disclosed in legal proceedings. Testimonies from former Palestinian detainees and Israeli soldiers who served in detention facilities further indicate that Israel has knowingly abducted civilians en masse and held them for long periods in appalling conditions

'with civilians making up the vast majority of “unlawful combatants”

It is concerning how so may 'civilians' are actually combatants.

🙄

Obviously didn't read the article. It's clear in the article that Israel labels civilians with no connections with Hamas, or other groups, as unlawful combatants.

Exactly thanks @10UsernamesNotAvailableTryAnotherOne

I think this is relevant. Israel decided to investigate the whistle blower of the Sde Teiman leak instead of the assault/torture itself.

www.timesofisrael.com/criminal-probe-launched-into-leak-of-detainee-abuse-video-idfs-top-lawyer-goes-on-leave/

Clear where the priorities lie isn't it?

Ben Gvir calling for the death penalty for prisoners. Something quite unnerving about the prisoners lying there bound .
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-gvir-urges-death-penalty-for-terrorists-in-video-filmed-next-to-bound-prisoners/

If they were combatants they would be charged as such. The majority being uncharged is incredibly concerning and a huge violation of human rights, civil liberties and breaks international law. Would you be happy for friends or relatives of yours being detained without charge for years? Would it concern you if people you knew were being rounded up and tortured, sometimes to death with the bodies then held for decades? How anyone can defend Israel with all the information that has come out astounds me.

Agreed. Also, the Ben Gvir calling for the death penalty for all Palestinian prisoners is particularly horrific considering how many innocent civilians in Israeli custody being labelled as terrorists.

The draft bill that the government has put forward is currently advancing in the Knesset:

https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/israels-knesset-national-security-committee-approves-draft-bill-making-death-penalty-mandatory-palestinian-detainees

"The draft bill mandates the death penalty for individuals "convicted of murder motivated by racism or hostility toward a particular public, and under circumstances where the act was committed with the intent to harm the State of Israel and the rebirth of the Jewish people in their homeland", with no possibility of commutation. Alarmingly, it further lowers the legal threshold by allowing judges to impose death sentences on Palestinian detainees by a simple majority, rather than requiring unanimity."

With the ceasefire in Gaza being breached daily, the West Bank raids, daily bombing of Lebanon etc and Trump looking the other way, it seems no one will stop these maniacs hellbent on punishment.

@BelleHathor ’it seems no one will stop these maniacs hellbent on punishment.’

You are talking about Hamas?

Read the recent posts tagged
It’s quite Obviously Israel

and yet pro Israeli supporters continue to
Its inhumane

More attacking the investigator rather than investigating the crime

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/03/israels-top-military-lawyer-arrested-after-she-admitted-leaking-video-of-soldiers-abuse

That article is quite frightening @Everexpanding . Netanyahu said "This is perhaps the most severe public relations attack that the state of Israel has experienced since its establishment.” It seems because it cannot be denied due to the video evidence they are changing tack .

There's seems to be something very rotten in parts of Israeli society and administration that they can call the soliders who committed these vile acts "heroes" and threaten to lynch the woman who released the tape.

Yes, bizarre and disturbing remark from Netanyahu interesting also to listen to why Yifat felt the need to leak the video

“She argued she did it to try and "counter the false propaganda" being spread about military law enforcement authorities, including by right-wing politicians trying to discredit investigations into allegations of serious misconduct.

Tomer-Yerushalmi said there was a "duty to investigate when there is reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee," in her resignation letter.
"Unfortunately, this basic understanding — that there are actions which must never be taken even against the vilest of detainees — no longer convinces everyone."
Tomer-Yerushalmi said her officers were subjected to personal attacks and harsh insults including "severe allegations suggesting that we favour terrorists over our own troops", "all because we have stood guard over the rule of law in the IDF".

"Israel: Bill allowing death penalty for Palestinian prisoners advances to parliament:

www.middleeasteye.net/news/bill-allowing-death-penalty-palestinian-prisoners-advances-israel-parliament

This is scary considering the conviction rate of Palestinians in Israeli military courts is 99%.

I really hope the bill will not make it through parliament, two things stood out in the article

“The legislation does not apply to Israelis who kill Palestinians under similar circumstances.” how can this be viewed as anything but Apartheid

and

“Israel has also blocked visits by lawyers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since October 2023.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said last week that he had ordered a ban on ICRC visits to Palestinian prisoners held under the controversial "unlawful combatants" law, most of whom were seized from Gaza.”

why block Red Cross visits if nothing to hide?

If this bill goes through the implications are even more insidious. Historically, we know what happens when a campaign to expel a population fails and the antagonist resorts to more drastic measures to achieve their goals. I sincerely hope I’m wrong but I have to ask why this bill seems to be garnering so much support this time when it failed so spectacularly in 2018.

These abuses should absolutely be brought to light and investigated (the soldiers involved were arrested long ago), and the right-wing vilification of Tomer-Yerushalmi is horrifying. However, the reason for her arrest is not just that she approved the leak of classified material - she is also a top legal official who allegedly deliberately misled the Supreme Court in an investigation about the source of the leak and apparently disposed of evidence.

Thank you for providing context @israelilefty i understand there are many on the left in Israel opposed to the likes of Ben Gvir and the rest of the current Israeli government, hopefully they prevail eventually