Sat Nov 15 15:14:58 UTC 2025: News Article:

Palestinian Lawyers Allege Severe Abuse of Detainees in Israeli Underground Facility

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – Palestinian lawyers are raising alarming concerns about the treatment of Palestinian detainees held in Rakevet, an underground detention facility within the Ramla (Nitzan) prison complex in central Israel. Allegations include severe physical abuse, starvation, denial of medical care, and prolonged isolation from the outside world.

According to lawyers who have interviewed detainees, many show visible signs of abuse. “When the prisoners arrive for the interview [with their lawyer], their faces show what they’ve endured,” said lawyer Nadia Daqqa. The lawyers claim prisoners are often afraid to speak openly due to constant surveillance and intimidation by guards.

Reports detail instances of broken bones, including jaws, shoulders, and ribs, going untreated. One detainee reported guards punishing prisoners by breaking their thumbs. These allegations join a growing chorus of reports detailing widespread abuse within the Israeli prison system, particularly since the escalation of the conflict in Gaza.

Currently, over 9,200 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, the majority under administrative detention, a practice where individuals are held without charge or trial. Reports of killings, torture, and sexual violence have also emerged from Sde Teiman, a military detention camp housing detainees from Gaza. While Israeli authorities have denied these allegations, released prisoners have described harrowing experiences of abuse. The bodies of slain Palestinian detainees returned to Gaza under a recent ceasefire agreement showed signs of torture and mutilation.

Human rights organizations, including the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), have described Israeli prisons as sites of systemic mistreatment and cruel and unusual punishment.

This wave of allegations coincides with moves within the Israeli government to toughen policies toward Palestinian detainees. The Israeli parliament is currently considering a bill that would impose the death penalty for alleged “terrorism” offences committed against Israelis, a move condemned by rights groups as discriminatory and primarily targeting Palestinians.

Basil Farraj, a professor at Birzeit University, highlights that Rakevet is just one component of a broader system of abuse. He points to the use of Israel’s “unlawful combatants” law, which allows indefinite detention without trial based on security grounds, contributing to psychological abuse and torture.

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