Israeli prisons have become spaces beyond the reach of legal and humanitarian principles. This marks another dark chapter for Palestinians, including those yet to be sentenced by their occupier.
Under Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, detention sites where Palestinians are held are exacting a policy of collective punishment. This is a troubling reality widely documented by international and local human rights groups.
A systemic policy of collective punishment
This transformation did not occur overnight. It reflects a long-standing systematic policy, rooted in racism and retribution.
Behind prison walls, and away from the public eye, Palestinians endure unimaginable physical and psychological torment. They are pushed to the brink of starvation and death.
Punitive practices, rubber-stamped by Ben-Gvir, include widespread solitary confinement. They also involve the continued denial of visitation rights to prisoners, including Palestinian minors.
Earlier this week, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs published a statement. It highlighted the lack of sufficient medical care. The report also mentioned the prevalence of morbidities, rampant health issues, and severe shortages of blankets and clothing.
In September 2025, Israel’s Supreme Court — the highest judicial institution — ruled that the prison administration had, by its own standards, failed to provide sufficient food and healthcare to Palestinian detainees.
The ruling serves an an implicit acknowledgement of Israel’s deliberate strategy of starvation, whose architect is none other than Ben-Gvir, fuelling a worsening humanitarian crisis within Israeli prisons.
Israeli racism transforms prisons into instruments of revenge
Under Ben-Gvir, incursions by elite Israeli military units into prisons holding Palestinian detainees have escalated.
The units violently assault prisoners, destroy personal belongings, and impose harsh collective punishments to break the resolve of detainees. This pattern of abuse is intended to undermine the dignity and rights of detainees. It further entrenches the cycle of oppression and occupation.
Such practices reflect Ben-Gvir’s agenda to uphold military supremacy over Palestinians’ lives — all while operating without regard for legal principles or institutional accountability.
His deeply racist views toward Palestinians are undeniable, as seen in his latest legislative proposals.
These policies include a death penalty bill specifically targeting Palestinians who commit crimes against Israelis. They also include the creation of a prison complex surrounded by a ‘crocodile farm’ to dissuade prison breaks.
Such proposals reflect the Israeli state’s racist mentality towards Palestinians, disfiguring the rule of law to advance political scores.
State-sponsored oppression
According to Israeli media reports, between January and June 2025, 110 Palestinian prisoners have been martyred inside Israeli prisons over the past few months. This unprecedented toll underscores the severity of the current conditions within detention facilities.
These deaths are occurring amid escalating torture, worsening hunger, and inadequate healthcare. Even official Israeli authorities have acknowledged the significant deterioration in the conditions faced by prisoners.
These policies not only violate international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions but also constitute organized crimes, perpetuating a state-sponsored system of oppression.
Featured image via WAFA News Agency
By Alaa Shamali
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