PNN – Itamar Ben Ghafir, the so-called Minister of Security of the Zionist regime, accompanied by senior police officials of the regime, including Police Commander Kobi Yaqubi, visited Ofer Prison near Ramallah in the West Bank, where he witnessed acts of violence and abuse of Palestinian prisoners.
Since Ben Ghafir took over as the Israeli Security Ministry at the end of 2022, the conditions of Palestinian prisoners have deteriorated significantly, with significant weight loss observed among them, as a result of the punitive policies he implemented in prisons.
During this visit, Ben Ghafir stated that the changes implemented in prisons are “not enough” and intends to make the “death penalty” law against Palestinian prisoners more active.
He also expressed satisfaction with the brutality being inflicted, threatening that “this place is not a luxury hotel, but a real prison.”
It is worth noting that, according to statistics as of February 5, 2026, more than 9,300 Palestinians, including 350 children, are being held in the prisons of the Zionist occupiers, and Palestinian, Israeli, and international reports have repeatedly warned of torture, food deprivation, violence, and medical neglect against prisoners, which have intensified since October 2023, coinciding with the Gaza war.
Released Palestinian prisoners have also reported systematic torture, rape, starvation, and psychological and physical trauma, the effects of which are clearly visible in their physical and mental health.